


Running Out Of Pins

by paperprincess



Series: Shoujo Jump [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: And I’m not sorry, Angst, Canon Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, I refuse to tag anything properly or edit well, M/M, Mild Transphobic Language, Trans Character, as a warning ya know, fem!naruto, like major teen angst, no more than in canon and it'll always be addressed but i just want that up there, straight people don’t exist, youve been warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-07-18 16:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 109
Words: 108,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16122425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperprincess/pseuds/paperprincess
Summary: The first sequel to But I’m Not~~~She was running, sprinting, sliding around corners, kicking doors in.“Not here,” Naru called. “Where is he?”There was a resounding crash, it shook the whole tunnel system. She felt her aching legs burn as she ran back toward it, seeing sunlight and open air streaming through where the explosion had happened. She ran out into open air and came to stand near where Sakura and Sai were. They were both staring up, and she looked up…His name fell from her lips without her meaning to say it.“...Sasuke…”





	1. Naru, A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Naru is a MESS

Naru was buzzing with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, her hands were practically shaking as she and Jiraiya approached the village gates. She couldn’t stop smiling. They walked in, and the guard stared in shock as they signed in. She shot him a crooked grin and laughed.

 

She turned, and walked a little way into the village. She wanted to see it all at once. She wanted to look out over it and watch the sun rise. She glanced around her, and spotted a telephone pole. She clambered up it, all the way to the top. A gust of wind blew up from around her as she stood, arms spread wide. She let out a whoop, grinning out over her village as the sun set the planes of the rooftops ablaze with light. She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, looking out over Konohagakure, but however long it was, it wasn’t enough.

 

She would never get tired of seeing her home like this. 

 

“Hey!” Jiraiya called up to her, “Stop fucking around and get down here,”

 

Naru looked down and saw Sakura standing next to him. She grinned, and leapt down, landing heavily on one knee in front of her friend. She straightened up and ran her fingers through her hair.

 

“Hey, Sakura-chan,” She said, “long time, no see,”


	2. Sakura, And... Wow...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura sees Naru for the first time. Reintroductory antics ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow being a passenger on a road trip is really when i’m at my most productive.

Naru Uzumaki was standing in front of Sakura for the first time in three years and the only coherent thought she could form was  _ wow. _

 

Naru had grown. She was as tall as Sakura, maybe even a shade taller. Her hair was a fraction longer than she used to wear it, and shaggy, uneven and layered. It almost covered her ears, or it would have, if she wasn’t still wearing her headband so it pushed her hair out of her eyes. Her face was still square, but her jaw and cheekbones had grown more pronounced, giving her a more serious, adult appearance. She was just as broad shouldered as ever, and even more muscular than before, but she’d gained a softness in them that hadn’t been there when she had been younger. She looked stronger, and very grown.

 

As for her clothes… She’d finally given in and donned some light armour. A long sleeved fishnet shirt stretched over her thick arms. Black vambraces were fastened over her forearms, though she wore the laces facing outward, for some reason. Her tank top had changed too. It was cut further in at the shoulders, and had a very high collar. Sakura realised that it rose just above the scar that was likely still cut across the back of her neck. Naru had gone back to wearing looser trousers- though, her new pair were definitely a slimmer cut than her old baggy sweatpants. The all over impression was… well… impressive. Sakura managed a smile as her face warmed a little.

 

“Naru! It’s been-“

 

“Too long,” Naru said, stepping forward and wrapping Sakura into a tight hug. Sakura squeezed her back.

 

“It really has. You look great! So grown up! Are you… are you taller than me?” She stepped back a little, and flattened Naru’s hair. She was, by a fraction of an inch.

 

“And you’re still beautiful as ever,” Naru said, smiling. If Sakura hadn’t been red before, she definitely was now.  _ When did Naru get… smooth? Jiraiya definitely didn’t teach her that. _

 

“Oh! Wow! Thanks, I… wow…” She fidgeted a little, glancing down at her hands and then looking back up at Naru. But the taller girl was looking over Sakura’s shoulder, smiling at something behind her.

 

“Naru-nii!” Came a shout. Sakura turned to see Konohamaru, pointing at Naru and looking determined. “You told me to practice my jutsu! Well, look at this! Henge!”

 

He transformed into a tall, curvy woman and giggled. “What do you think?”

 

Sakura turned to stare at Naru, who was looking a little surprised, but recovered quickly. “That’s the jutsu you chose to practice?” She asked, incredulous. Sakura felt herself swell with pride.  _ She really has grown up!  _ Naru stepped out into the road and rolled her shoulders. “Well watch this! I’m about to blow you outta the water kid! Sexy Jutsu versus Sexy Jutsu!”

 

**Thwack.**

 

Naru rubbed the back of her head, pouting at Sakura. “What was that for?”

 

“We haven’t seen each other for three years and the first thing you do is act like a disgusting pervert?” She snarled, brandishing her fist at the taller girl. Naru shot her a wry smile.

 

“No! I said hello first. The second thing I did was act like a disgusting-“ She paused, looking over Konohamaru’s head and spotting two more people who were making their way down the road. Sakura followed her gaze and tensed up. Shikamaru and Temari were walking toward them. They hadn’t spotted Naru yet. Sakura held out her hand to stop Naru.

 

“Naru, wait here a second, I have to-“

 

**_Oh shit._ **

 

_ Be quiet! _

 

“Grumpy!” Naru shouted, grinning, rushing forward. Shikamaru looked up, shock taking over his features as Naru jogged up to him, going in for a hug.

 

He sidestepped and gently pushed Temari forward. “Naru! You’re back. You remember Temari, right?”

 

Naru froze. There was a heartbeat and a flicker of confusion took over her features. But she recovered quickly and grinned again, her eyes still flicking between the two of them as she spoke. “Uh, duh! Gaa-chan’s big sister! What’s happenin’? How is he?”

 

“Hey, Naru-san,” Temari said, looking even more confused than Naru, glancing over her shoulder at Shikamaru, whose eyes were fixed on the ground, and then back at Naru, “Gaara is doing great! He talks about you a lot. When next you get free time you should visit,”

 

“And he should visit here too!” Everyone smiled in a knowing way, and Naru looked around, confused. “What?”

 

“Well… he doesn’t get a whole lot of free time,” Temari said, smiling, “Since he’s Kazekage now,”

 

Naru blinked, her face blank for a second. Then, like the rumble of a geyser, everyone around her braced for the shout that came from deep in her chest. “What? That’s amazing! I’m so proud of him! Wow! Kazekage! Does he wear those dorky robes? Bet he looks great in them, huh? Oh wow, now I really have to visit! I need to catch up! I gotta be the next Hokage if Gaa-chan is already Kazekage,”

 

She stepped back and looked up at the cliff face, and the five Kage carved there. They all stood for a moment, looking out over the village, then Shikamaru cleared his throat. 

 

“Temari, you want to get going soon, the hotel is almost seven hours from here,” 

 

“Good point, good point,” Temari said. She stepped forward and held out her hand to Naru. “I hope to see you in Suna soon,”

 

Naru took it and smiled. “Definitely!” She watched as Temari and Shikamaru walked by, and Sakura saw Shikamaru meet Naru’s eyes for the first time, and hold her gaze for a fraction of a second, and then he looked away, and stood by Temari as she signed out. Naru looked at him for a while, then shook her head, touching the back of her neck over her shirt. She turned back to Sakura and Jiraiya. 

 

“Uh, so… who wants to grab some food?”

 

“Sorry kid, I gotta go make a report to Boss Lady,” Jiraiya said, strolling away. “See you in a little bit,”

 

“See ya,” Naru said. She turned to Sakura and smiled. “Uh, so… wanna… wanna get some food with me?” 

 

Sakura smiled, and nodded. “Okay,” She said, “My treat,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Almost Lover, Jasmine Thompson
> 
> Sakura: Feelings, Hayley Kiyoko 
> 
> Shikamaru: House Of Memories, Panic! At The Disco


	3. Naru, and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru can pick up on v i b e s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> casually spams all of your inboxes
> 
> hey! comments make my day!

Naru was slurping down noodles like she was in a competition. Sakura was laughing, eating her own at a more reasonable pace. Old man Ichiraku set another bowl down in front of her.

 

“These two are on the house tonight, kiddo,” He said, leaning on the counter and smiling at Naru, “Just because we’re so glad to have you back,”

 

“Wow, thanks! You really are the best, you guys,” She said, grinning. 

 

She pulled the bowl toward her and drained the broth from her old one. Old man Ichiraku laughed, and Naru turned to Sakura as she stirred her noodles. The hard lump in the pit of her stomach demanded to be addressed.

 

“Hey, Sakura-chan?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“How… How come Shikamaru-kun was so… cold to me? When I left, he… I don’t understand,”

 

Sakura paused, the smile falling from her face. She looked back down into her own noodles. “Shikamaru-san… has been working closely with Temari-san. I… I think he wanted to make sure she didn’t think there was anything going on between you two,”

 

“But there is! We’re friends! I thought we were really good friends!” Naru said, her voice cracking a little. The hard lump swelled, putting pressure on her chest.

 

Sakura looked back up at Naru. “Sometimes when people get into relationships… they cut off their friends…”

 

“That’s stupid. Shikamaru-kun isn’t stupid. There has to be another reason,” Naru said, clenching her fist on the table, “I must have done something,”

 

“Naru, that’s ridiculous, you didn’t… you didn’t do anything,”

 

“Then why is he acting like he hardly knows me?”

 

“Three years is a long time,” Sakura said sadly. Naru nodded and started shovelling food into her mouth again.

 

“I guess so,” She forced out around a mouthful. 

 

“It really is,” came a voice from behind her. They all looked up, and Naru felt her face split into a grin.

 

“Iruka-sensei!” She yelled, jumping to her feet and hugging him. He laughed and ruffled her hair.

 

“Wow, Naru, you really grew! Up and out. You’re massive, kid!”

 

She drew back and flexed proudly. “Thanks, I’ve been eating a lot!” 

 

Iruka laughed. “I can tell,” he walked over and sat down on Naru’s other side, and ordered some food for himself. “How are you?”

 

“Great!” She lied, pushing aside the Shikamaru-shaped knot in her chest and grinning, “What about you? how are you doing?”

 

“Good!” Iruka said, “I’m doing good,” he broke his chopsticks apart and smiled at her, “I’m proud, and glad you’re home,”

 

Naru turned red and promptly put her elbow in her bowl of soup. “Aw! Thanks, Iruka-sensei, I’m glad to be home,” She said, wiping her elbow in a rush and knocking an egg off the counter. She looked down at it, smashed on the floor, and tried to explain the overwhelming amount of dread overtaking her. It gripped her every limb, like a great monster planning to swallow her whole. She leapt to her feet again, staring around.

 

Sakura and Iruka looked at her, startled. “What’s wrong?” Sakura asked, setting her hands on the counter. Iruka reached out to touch her shoulder reassuringly, but Naru whipped around and rushed out of the tent, looking around at the street. Nothing was there, but the dread monster only tightened its grip. Sakura ducked out for the hut. “Naru?”

 

Naru turned to her, feeling panic rise in her chest. “Something terrible is happening. Something really, really terrible. We have to go- We have to…” She looked around herself again as Sakura closed in and out her hands on her shoulders. Naru caught her wrists and pulled them from her, looking back into those green eyes. “We have to go see Tsunade-baa-chan,” 

 

“Naru… wait!” Sakura said, but Naru just grabbed her hand and waved to Iruka. 

 

“We have to go! Something is happening! I don’t know what, but it’s bad!”

 

“Naru-“ He said, but she was already running off, dragging Sakura behind her. She sprinted all the way to the Hokage’s dome, and half carried Sakura up the stairs. She burst into the office, accidentally blasting the door halfway off its hinges as she crashed headfirst into it. Naru stood awkwardly for a moment in the doorway, her hand in Sakura’s, with Shizune, Jiraiya, and Tsunade all staring expectantly at her.

 

“Hello.” Naru said, blinking, realising she had  _ no clue  _ how to communicate exactly what she was feeling with anyone, or even  _ what, _ exactly, she was feeling. 

 

“Hi,” Tsunade said, her voice shaking with either anger, amusement, or both. There was another awkward pause before she spoke again. “Is there something you wanted, Naru?”

 

Naru bit her top lip. “I had a bad… feeling…”

 

“About my door?” Tsunade said, cocking an eyebrow at her. Naru fidgeted a little, finally letting go of Sakura’s hand.

 

“No, just… in general…” She hesitated for another moment, then pointed down the hall, edging a little way out of sight, leaning so just her head and one shoulder was still visible to them. “I’m… gonna…” she patted the doorframe, “I’m gonna go…”

 

“No, you’re not,” Jiraiya sighed, “You have to get in here. We all need to talk about something, you too, Sakura,”

 

Naru and Sakura shared a nervous glance, then ducked into the office. They came to stand next to Jiraiya, who shot Naru a reassuring little smirk. She looked forward at Tsunade and swallowed. Tsunade was viewing them both over her clasped hands, considering them.

 

“I’m testing you both, as a team, to see where you both are in your training. I’m putting you up against an opponent to measure your abilities, and whether or not you beat him will tell me if you’re ready to join the elite team I would like you to form,”

 

“Cool. Who’s the guy?” Naru said, looking at Jiraiya, “Is it you?”

 

“Uh, no,” He said, touching his chest, “Not me,”

 

“He’s outside the window,” Tsunade said. Both Naru and Sakura rushed forward, throwing the window open and leaning out. 

 

It was Kakashi, sitting cross legged on the roof, reading Makeout Paradise. He looked up when they leant out and stared at him. “Yo,” He said, waving lazily with two of his fingers. Naru leaned back into the office.

 

“Okay, first thing’s first: Hell yes. But secondly… Whose… whose idea was this situation? I mean…” She looked back out the window and pointed at Kakashi, “Did you… did you just… decide to wait out here for a dramatic reveal, or…” She looked back at Tsunade, “Did you  _ order _ Kakashi-sensei to climb out here and... wait out of sight?”

 

Jiraiya hid his mouth behind his hand and turned away, shoulders shaking. Kakashi cleared his throat.

 

“That’s not important. What  _ is _ important is that you both meet me down on the training grounds in ten,”

 

“Oh, first, though, I gotcha something,” Naru said with a grin, gesturing at Jiraiya, who pulled something out of his bag and tossed it to her. She leaned out of the window and grinned. “With a forward, and author’s notes, a signed copy of…”

 

Kakashi reached forward and grabbed the book out of her hand, trying hard to keep his cool as he stared at it. “No way!”

 

“Yeah, Makeout Tactics. The latest installment in the Makeout series. Not due to be published for… how long?” She asked, leaning on the window sill and smiling over her shoulder at Jiraiya, who was looking proud of himself.

 

“It’ll be released in a couple months,” He laughed, leaning against a bookcase, “No one is supposed to see it before then, but… the tyke talked me into an advanced copy for you,”

 

Kakashi looked from Jiraiya to Naru and back again excitedly. She could tell he was itching to get reading. She grinned. “Thanks, Naru-kun,” He said, clearing his throat and trying to look casual, “That was thoughtful of you,”

 

“Yeah whatever,” She said, stretching, “we’ll see how thoughtful I am in ten,” 

  
“Uh…” Kakashi said, running his thumb over the book’s spine, “make that  _ fifteen _ …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Black Wave, K.Flay
> 
> Sakura: Lucy, Bryce Fox
> 
> Kakashi: It’s a Disaster, Ok Go


	4. Deidara, The Sands Of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deidara meets back up with his Danna~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deidara is my inspiration in life.

“What took you so long?” Sasori growled, glowering up at Deidara. Deidara felt himself smirk.

 

“He is a Jinchuriki, after all, Sasori no danna,” Deidara smirked, “he put up quite the fight,”

 

“Let’s not waste any more time,” Sasori snapped, turning. One downbeat of his creations wings and they were making their way across the desert, Gaara the Jinchuriki of the one tail in their grasp. there was a dull throb in Deidara’s arm, or what was left of it, and they had quite a way to go until they reached their hideout. 

 

It was hours before the boy caught up to them. Foolish, and alone. He summoned puppets. Deidara couldn’t help but grin.

 

“I’ll leave it to you,” He laughed, lifting higher off the ground, “Don’t take too long, I’d hate for you to be a hypocrite,”

 

“It won’t take long. I’ll be right behind you,” Sasori said, striking needles out of the air with his tail-like weapon. Deidara laughed to himself. He almost felt bad for the kid. Out of all the opponents he could have faced, the bad luck he must have had to come across Sasori. He glanced back at the young puppet master. He’d be dead in no time at all.

 

But Deidara couldn’t dwell. He had to get his prize to their hideout before anyone else could waste their time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deidara: My Band, D12


	5. Naru, It’s Not Cheating If You’re a Ninja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru and Sakura tag team Kakashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sakura and naru work together way better than Naruto and Sakura did, but three years is a while so they’re still a little out of sync.

Naru and Sakura were standing side by side in front of Kakashi, the bells on his belt chiming slightly in the wind. Naru smirked.

 

“This isn’t gonna be like last time,” She said, “Sorry you can’t keep your nose in your new book,”

 

Kakashi made a sound that she thought was likely the beginning of a laugh he held back. Naru tilted her head.

 

“So who moves first, Kakashi-sensei? You?” Sakura said, sliding shoulder to shoulder with Naru, who shot her a little smile.

 

 “Or us?” Naru said.

 

“Well, if you’re working together, I’ll need this,” He said, pulling the headband away from his eye. Naru glanced back at Sakura.

 

“Still a four man team?”

 

Sakura grinned at her. “All by ourselves,” She admitted, nodding. Naru grinned, and Sakura stooped down, giving Naru a leg-up and hurling her into the air. Kakashi dodged the kunai she threw easily, and sent a few of his own at Naru, who used a shadow clone to pull herself out of the way in mid air. Sakura rushed Kakashi, but he dodged so quickly that it was like he’d teleported. Naru summoned her rasengan and made to sock him with them, but he used a substitution. He was in the woods now, and the girls were giving chase.

 

Naru started off with clones and Taijutsu, like she knew he’d expect, just to feel him out. _Just exactly how hard is he planning to go on us?_

 

It turned out that Kakashi was _not_ playing games with his students anymore. He pulled out all the stops. He matched Naru’s shadow clones, he used Lee’s lotus move, he even performed the water style jutsu she’d seen him copy from Zabuza all those years ago.

 

 _Where the hell is Sakura? So much for a team effort!_ Naru thought to herself as she watched from her position in a tree as Kakashi burst a few of her clones. Just as she made to perform her next move, Sakura dropped down from what seemed like the sky.

 

“Kakashi-sensei!” She yelled, slamming her fist into where he had been a fraction of a second before. The very earth _shattered_ , cracks radiating outward as trees began to topple, Sakura’s gloved fist the epicentre of a calamity in a scale she’d only seen the Sanin cause before. Naru felt her knees go weak beneath her. A whimper left her lips.

 

_Wow…_

 

Someone cleared their throat just behind her shoulder. She whipped around, and Kakashi was standing there, his eyebrows raised.

 

Naru yelped, conjuring her rasengan and swiping at him with it. She heard him laugh as he disappeared into the woods again, leaving her red faced and embarrassed.

 

It continued like that for what felt like hours. Eventually Kakashi resorted to mostly hiding, likely in an attempt to save the local landscape. Naru and Sakura stood back to back, frustrated, panting, and trying to look for any possible oncoming attacks.

 

“What are we going to do?” Sakura hissed, glancing over her shoulder at Naru. “We’re totally outmanned here,”

 

“Is that a gender joke? Or a split soul joke?”

 

“I’m not joking! We can’t get him!” Sakura snapped. Naru cast around for ideas. What had worked last time they’d done this? What would get him to let his guard down? “We can’t match him with how fast he can make hand signs and we’re not even close to countering that damn sharingan. We’re fucked, he’s got the advantage in almost every way,”

 

Naru felt her face split into a grin. “Makeout Tactics,”

 

“What?” Sakura spat, turning to Naru. Naru span to face her and grabbed her shoulders excitedly.

 

“I have a plan. But we have to be in perfect sync. Are you ready?”

 

“Always! So we find him and rush him on my signal?”

 

“Yes ma’am!” Naru said with a grin. Sakura grinned back.

 

It was a few minutes before they figured out where he was, and another before they were in position. Sakura nodded at Naru.

 

They both leapt out at their teacher, and he looked like he was getting ready to counter when…

 

“In chapter 38 of Makeout Tactics you find out...” Naru shouted, and Kakashi panicked and slapped his hands over his ears. Naru kept going, careful to enunciate the words so they were plain on her lips, “that the masked hero is actually Nana’s long lost friend from school… And She-“

 

That did it. Kakashi shut his eyes, and Sakura and Naru each snatched a bell from his belt. Sakura grinned at her, and they high fived.

 

Naru tried to ignore the sudden grip of the dread monster as it overtook her again. The knowledge that something terrible was happening _somewhere_ screamed in her brain, but she couldn’t quite manage to understand it.

 

When Kakashi opened his eyes again, both his students shook their bells at him happily.

 

“Sorry Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura crowds happily. Naru giggled.

 

“Spoiler alert!”

 

There was a slow clap from just out of sight. Lady Tsunade strolled out of the trees toward them, followed by Shizune, who was smiling.

 

“Well done girls,” She said proudly. Naru frowned. _Always with the dramatic reveal._ “I guess I get to announce the official formation of Team Kakashi. Congratulations,”

 

Naru spun around and grinned at Kakashi, clapping her hands together excitedly. “Wait, you’re gonna be our squad leader again, Kakashi-sensei?”

 

Kakashi shrugged. “Looks like it, kiddo,”

 

Naru punched the air, grinning. “Oh, hell yeah! Just like old times!” She grinned at Tsunade, who had crossed her arms and was trying not to smile. “Thanks, Tsunade-baa-chan!”

 

Tsunade really did smile there. “Just… stop breaking down my door, brat. Honestly,” She said, turning away and putting her hands in her pockets, “why Jiraiya decided it was a good idea to let you build up that much muscle… like you weren’t already a human cannonball,”

 

Naru giggled. Sakura reaches out and squeezed her hand, looking as happy as Naru felt. “I can’t wait to go on missions with you again,” She said. Naru squeezed her friend’s hand back.

 

“Me neither! This is the best thing that could have happened!”

 

Kakashi cleared his throat. Both girls looked up at him. He put one hand in his pocket. “I guess I should let you know that this means we work as a team. You aren’t little kids anymore. We’re on equal footing now. You’re both Chunin-”

 

“Sakura! You’re a Chunin too?” Naru interrupted, grasping her other hand and pulling her closer, grinning again. Sakura laughed.

 

“Everyone’s a Chunin now, Naru! All the rookies. Hell, Neji-san, Kankuro and Temari are even Jonin!”

 

“Bright eyes is a Jonin?” Naru said, awestruck. Kakashi let out a long suffering sigh.

 

“I remember when you both hung on my every word…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Bad Reputation, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
> 
> Sakura: Shut Up and Let Me Go, The Ting Tings
> 
> Kakashi: Na Na Na [Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na], My Chemical Romance
> 
> (i’m trying so hard not to make this feel rushed but i’m SO FUCKING EXCITED YOU GUYS)


	6. Deidara, You Soul Sucker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so damn short it doesn’t count as a chapter there’ll be another longer one today I promise

“Ugh, three days? It’s raining where we are,” Hidan groaned. The other members all looked at him.

 

“Keep your mouth shut,” Kazuku growled. Hidan made a little whiny noise, but settled down. Deidara rolled his eyes. 

 

“Can we just get this rolling?” Deidara said, shooting a glance at Sasori, who was visibly growing impatient. Pain cleared his throat.

 

“Let’s begin,”

  
The sound… the sound bothered Deidara. The pained, wheezing moan of the demon being ripped from its host.  _ Three days of this is really going to grate on my fucking nerves. _ He thought. He glanced at Sasori, who was apparently completely focused.  _ I doubt he’ll be enjoying himself much either. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deidara: All Eyez On Me, 2pac


	7. Naru, Giving The Beast A Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru finds out why she’s got the heebie jeebies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also shikamaru has 99 problems and they’re all blonde

Naru, Kakashi and Sakura were  _ already  _ back in Lady Tsunade’s office. At first she thought that they were in some kind of trouble. Maybe Lady Tsunade had changed her mind about punishing them for the door, (which was propped up against the wall, having been removed from its remaining hinge). But Tsunade looked serious, grave even, when they lined up in front of her desk.  

 

“We’ve just gotten word that Suna was attacked by the Akatsuki in the early hours of the morning. They’ve taken the Kazekage. I’m sending Team Kakashi to assist in whatever they may need. Go there. Follow orders. Leave now,”

 

The last four words were directed straight at Naru. She nodded, her face stony, the dread monster sinking its claws into her now that it had a name.  _ Gaara was taken… _ She felt her eyes burn with tears that she refused to cry. 

 

Naru turned on her heel. She hadn’t even gone to her apartment. She still had her fully packed bag. She looked over her shoulder at Kakashi and Sakura as she left the room.

 

“Main gates. Ten minutes,” She said, as calmly as she could manage. She left the building, and ran as quickly as she could through the streets. She didn’t care that the others had to pack. She would wait at the gates until they were ready. She crashed headfirst into something tall and solid.

 

“S-sorry…”

 

“Naru, you look upset,” Shikamaru’s low drawl thrummed through her bones like music. She gasped and looked up at his face. He looked concerned, he reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder, running his thumb comfortingly along her collarbone. She took a shaky breath. 

 

“I’m leaving on a mission, right now…. If you see Kiba-chan or Neji-chan or… or Choji-chan, tell them I said Hi, and sorry I missed them,” She met his eyes, and he seemed like he was struggling with something.

 

“A mission? Already? You only just got back-“

 

“Shika-kun…” she cleared her throat and straightened slightly, “Shikamaru-san, I’m leaving on a very important mission, I don’t have much time, please… if people ask, tell them I said Hi, and I’ll be back soon,”

 

Shikamaru’s face grew stony when she used his full name, and he took a half step forward, bringing himself closer to her. “Naru…  _ Sunshine… _ I want… I want to explain,”

 

“I don’t have time. We’ll talk when I get back,” She said, grabbing his hand off her shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. She shot him her best attempt at a smile. “No stress. You know me. You don’t have to explain anything, Shikamaru-san. I’m happy for you,”

 

“Sunshine-“

 

“I have to  _ go _ ,” She said, dropping his hand and rushing away. Shikamaru watched her leave, smoothing his hand over his head and looking lost in thought. She could hear him sigh.

 

She waited at the gates. It took four minutes before Kakashi appeared. His eye was steady on her, and she was left with the impression he was sizing her up. She shifted uncomfortably, and scratched the side of her face.

 

“What?” She asked, shooting him a quizzical look. Kakashi looked out over the road that left konoha.

 

“I was just thinking about how earlier you said you had a bad feeling. Do you think it was because of what happened to Gaara? Did you sense it somehow?”

 

“I don’t know,” She lied, not meeting his eye. He looked back at her.

 

“Mm,” He hummed. The crunch of gravel cut them short, and Naru and Kakashi both turned to see Sakura, pulling her gloves tighter and looking determined.

 

“Ready?” She asked. Naru nodded shortly.

 

“Let’s go,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Sing, My Chemical Romance AND ALSO I Said Hi, Amy Shark
> 
> Sakura: This Ain’t A Scene, It’s an Arms Race, Fall Out Boy
> 
> Shikamaru: Look Alive, Sunshine, My Chemical Romance


	8. Baki, Poison and Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baki exhausts all resources trying to save his student

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE MY GOTH FURRY SON

Kankuro writhed on the hospital bed, his face twisted in an expression of pure agony as a healer sponged his forehead, his face paint bleeding into his hairline.

 

“We need her,” A healer said, looking up at Baki, “It’s his only hope,”

 

“She’s retired,” Baki said, “Is there nothing else that you can do?”

 

“We’re in over our heads. I’ve never seen poison like this before. If you don’t get her in here, Kankuro will be dead in another day,”

 

Baki gripped his fists.  _ Foolish boy. Did he really think he could defeat an enemy that had beaten Gaara? He’d let his emotions get in the way. _ Baki glared up at the healer. “Then I suppose I’ll have to go and get her,” 

 

Baki turned and left the room.  _ What a mess for Temari to return to. One brother kidnapped, the other dying, the village reeling with no Kazekage. _ He kicked of the ground, leaping to the rooftops, racing toward the cliff where the siblings were. 

 

Entering into their sanctuary felt like breaking a rule. Maybe it was. Lady Chiyo and Ebizo we’re sitting across from one another, dozing off in the quiet. Baki cleared his throat.

 

“Lady Chiyo. We need your help,”

 

“Well what else is new?” The crone said snappishly, “I’m enjoying my retirement. you can all figure out your own problems now,”

 

“He’s back,” 

 

“Who’s back, boy?” Ebizo asked, curiously. Baki swallowed.

 

“Sasori,”

 

There was a moment where it seemed even the desert wind was silent with shock. Baki took a deep breath, “He was the one behind the Kazekage’s kidnapping and his poison is currently making quick work of Kankuro. We need your help, Lady Chiyo. Please,”

 

Lady Chiyo sighed, and got to her feet. “The boy first. Then… then we will see what I can do about my darling grandson,”

 

They returned to the hospital, and Lady Chiyo set straight to work, drawing blood and doing tests, trying to figure out what poison her grandson had tipped his weapons with. Kankuro groaned and seemed to settle as Chiyo treated him, but the woman remained grim. 

 

Eventually she looked up at Baki, her eyes filled with regret, and shook her head.

 

“I can’t do anything more,” She said, swallowing thickly, “All I can do is make him comfortable, perhaps give him another day or two...”

 

Baki clenched his fists so hard he could feel his nails cutting into his palms. “Isn’t there anything-“

 

“The only person who’s more proficient with the creation of antidotes than I am is that slug queen of the leaf, Tsunade. She could figure my poisons out no matter how hard I tried to make them unsolvable. But… Last I heard she was awol,”

 

“She’s the Hokage now, but… There’s no time to summon her. By the time we got the message to her it would be too late. We already sent out a distress signal to the leaf,” 

 

“Bah! Crawling to Konohagakure for help. How far we’ve fallen,” Chiyo snapped, looking back down at Kankuro, who was twitching. “We used to be able to hold our own. We’ve gone soft,”

 

“We’ve gained allies, Lady Chiyo,” Baki said, looking down at Kankuro as well. Chiyo scoffed.

 

“A small comfort to the boy, I’m sure,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kankuro: Little Talks, Of Monsters and Men
> 
> Baki: Afraid, The Neighbourhood


	9. Naru, And The Claws Of Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The claws of panic sink deeper in inactivity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reedin

“Rest? Rest my motherfucking ass, Kakashi-sensei! Gaara is in  _ danger _ and we’re taking a fucking  _ nap break _ ? Fuck me. I’ll rest when I have him safe next to me,”

 

Kakashi sighed. He shot Naru a sharp look, and stepped forward. “And you think you’ll be of any use to anyone having travelled three days straight without sleeping? You think you’ll be able to go up against an enemy that took out the Kazekage after having run for seventy two hours straight?”

 

Naru glared up a her teacher, her fists clenched, a muscle in her jaw twitching. She took in a shuddering breath, trying to calm herself down, trying to quash the swelling, overwhelming feeling in her chest. Kakashi just stared her down, cool as anything.

 

“He’s in danger, Kakashi-sensei,”

 

“I know,” he said, crossing his arms, “But you’ll get yourself killed rushing into this. You have to use your head, and not as a battering ram,” He reached forward and flicked her forehead. She was reminded of how Shikamaru used to flick her temple. She took another shuddering breath.

 

“How the fuck am I supposed to sleep knowing they have him?”

 

“Maybe you won’t, but you can’t just keep going flat out, and even if you could, we wouldn’t be able to keep up,” He said. Naru shook her head.

 

“Everything… everything is so  _ different _ , Kakashi-sensei,”

 

“Time does that,” He said, shrugging. Naru bit her top lip and turned away. How was she supposed to push aside all of this restless energy? The buzzing in her chest only grew with each second she stood still.

 

She walked out into the woods a little way, just out of sight of her teammates, and let herself crumple to the ground, clutching at her rib cage as though she could hold in the aching sadness in her chest. As though she could crush the feeling back into herself. Her clothes felt too tight and rough on her skin, the ground seemed freezing cold where it touched her. Or maybe her skin was just burning. 

 

_ You’re a ninja. You know you can’t let your emotions get to you like this.  _

 

**_YOU’RE A HUMAN, BRAT. AND YOUR FRIEND IS IN TROUBLE. HUMANS ARE ALL FOOLISH, EMOTIONAL BEASTS. IT IS EVEN MORE FOOLISH TO PRETEND YOU ARE NOT. LET IT OUT, KIT._ **

 

And at that Naru folded in on herself and let the sobs overtake her, the dread creature that had been clawing at her since that morning dug its teeth in and thrashed, ripping her resolve to shreds. Tears fell from her face and into the ground, and she struggled to inflate her aching lungs. The sheer agonising terror of not being able to do anything clutched her, and it crushed her.  _ I could die from this feeling, this damned helplessness… _

 

**_DON’T BE A FOOL. I WOULD NEVER LET YOU DIE._ **

 

_ Small comfort. _

 

**_WE’LL SAVE HIM, IF HE MEANS THAT MUCH TO YOU, THEN I WILL HELP._ **

 

_ How are you going to do anything?  _ Naru thought coldly. Kurama laughed.

 

**_WE BOTH KNOW HOW._ **

 

_ Because that went tremendously well last time. _

 

**_HE GOT IN THE WAY._ **

 

_ And you almost killed him while I was fucking unconscious. Not cool. We aren’t doing that again. _ The panic roiled in her abdomen. She wrapped her arms around herself again and straightened up, sighing and looking up at the sky.  _ But I’m gonna get him back. I’m gonna save him.  _

 

She stood, shivering, despite the lack of cold, and walked back toward where Sakura and Kakashi had settled onto their mats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Know Your Demons, The Tiny
> 
> Kakashi: Ghosting, Freelance Whales
> 
> Kurama: Business Man, Mother Mother


	10. Temari, Blood Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Temari is home and nothing is okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Love The Sand Sibs

Temari returned to find that her younger brother had been kidnapped, and her older brother had been poisoned, and both might be dead at any moment. She also found out that there was absolutely nothing that she could do about either of these things.

 

‘The village needs to be protected,’  ‘We’ve been weakened severely by the loss of Gaara,’ ‘We should expect attack at any moment.’

 

_ Burn the village to the ground. I want my brothers back.  _ Temari thought, leaning on her fan and looking out over the desert. But she wasn’t serious. She was loyal. She was a Jonin. She had duties.

 

Heavy footsteps approached and she looked up, seeing a young woman sprinting toward her.

 

“Kan-“ The woman gasped for breath, bracing herself on the rampart, “Kankuro-sensei… Is calling… I’ll take watch-“

 

But Temari was already gone, racing toward the hospital. She crashed into the building, almost bowling over a healer who got in the way. 

 

When she finally reached his room, her stomach dropped. He was awake, but drawing rattling gasps. His eyes fell on her, and he tried to sit up. His skin was grey, his lips a bluish hue that she’d never seen before in a living person. A healer tried to pull him back down, but he pushed them aside and kept his eyes fixed on Temari’s.

 

“You… You have to get… Gaara back… and tell…” He gasped, and winced in pain. A healer pulled away his dressings to reveal a wound, black and red and rotting. The healer began trying to clean it, and bile rose in Temari’s throat. Kankuro grabbed her shoulder and caught her eye again. “Tell Kiba I’m sorry,”

 

“You’re not going to die, stupid,” She said, her voice shaking as she looked her brother in the eyes. His chest heaved, every inch of him was drenched in cold sweat. He made an effort to smile.

 

“Now’s really... not the time for jokes, Temari,” He said. He lowered himself back, wincing again, and looked at her from eyes half-hooded from pain and exhaustion. 

 

“Like you could die, you stupid bastard. Don’t you know… you’re the only person besides me who can make fun of Gaara? If you’re gone when he comes back,” She wiped the tears from her eyes like she was swatting away a fly and sniffed, “Who’s gonna stop him from getting all dramatic on us again?”

 

“Guess… You’ll just have to call in… the blondie again, huh?” He laughed. His eyes began to slide closed, then open, then closed again, and Temari clenched her fists in the sheets and felt her breath catch in her lungs.

 

“Don’t you dare die on me. Help is on the way from the leaf. Don’t you fucking dare die, you stupid… stupid idiot…”

 

“Temari… I’m just going to sleep,” He said, but a healer plunged a needle into his arm, and another grasped Temari’s shoulder and pulled her back from Kankuro’s side.

 

“He’s… He’s not going to wake up again, Temari-san,” 

 

“Fuck you, My brothers are going to be fine. Both of them. None of you… none of you know shit,” She said, her voice breaking. She turned to Kankuro and pointed at him, “If you die I’ll kill you,” She spat as she was pulled from the room, “Do you hear me? I’ll kill you,” 

 

“Temari… The leaf have been spotted. They’re a half an hour out,” Baki said, stepping forward and shutting Kankuro’s hospital room door. Temari stared up at him.

 

“Already?”

 

“I suppose they set out as soon as they got word,” Baki said, “We’ll need to debrief them,”

 

Temari clenched her fists and glared up at him. “Then why are we standing around here? Let’s go out and get them,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temari: Absolution, The Pretty Reckless
> 
> Kankuro: Dear Sister, The Pretty Reckless


	11. Naru, Watching Her Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru and Temari watch Sakura do her thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if any of you have ever come close to losing a sibling but that shit is TERRIFYING and when the doctors figured it out and the operation worked I literally collapsed on the ground and cried

Temari practically body slammed Naru when she ran out to meet her. Naru had to grab her to stop her from falling, almost stumbling as Temari tripped backward. Temari caught her upper arms in a death grip. 

 

“Oh good,” She said, looking around at team Kakashi, “They sent you,”

 

“What efforts have been made to get Gaara back?” Naru said, setting Temari on her feet, but not letting go. They were just outside of the narrow opening in the rock wall that surrounded Suna. Temari shook her head.

 

“Kankuro… Kankuro went out after them, but he got hit by some kind of poison and they say he’s dying,” She looked down at Naru, her voice cracking slightly as her hands squeezed painfully hard on the younger girl’s biceps, “Nothing since. We don’t have any defensive forces to spare,”

 

“Where’s Kankuro?” Sakura interjected, pulling her gloves on tighter, “I can see what I can do,”

 

Temari hesitated for a moment, looking like she could have kissed Sakura, then nodded and turned, leading them into Suna. She waved away a guard with a flick of her wrist. 

 

“We send out for help and you expect it to sign in when it arrives?” She spat at him. He winced and fell back. Naru shot him an apologetic smile.  _ It wasn’t his fault, he was trying to follow protocol. _

 

When Naru set eyes on Kankuro, her heart found its way down to the pit of her stomach and her mouth filled with sawdust. For a second, she thought he was dead, with his lips a greyish blue and every inch of him appearing bloodless. The tips of his fingers looked almost blackened, and he was drenched in cold sweat, but then she saw his chest rise in a stuttering breath. She turned her eyes on Sakura, whose facial expression was serious as she unwrapped his dressings and looked at the wound. It was…  _ bad _ . The flesh around it had gone necrotic, and the veins leading out from it were a nasty blue black colour that Naru was fairly sure that veins  _ shouldn’t be _ . 

 

Sakura made an unhappy face as she hunched over it. Naru hung back as Sakura began ordering people around, calling for things Naru had never even heard of before, at one point turning to a healer and saying something she was pretty sure was a  _ foreign language _ . But soon they brought her a bowl of something, and she somehow  _ pulled the liquid out in her hand _ and  _ pushed it into Kankuro’s chest. _ Naru’s jaw dropped. 

 

There was a momentary pause, and then she pulled the stuff back out, something that looked like swirling black ink contained within it. She dumped the solution back into the bowl where it was swept away and replaced by another, with which Sakura repeated the process.

 

She did this several times, sweat beading on her brow, and a muscle in her jaw twitching. Slowly, Kankuro began breathing easier. Temari was resting her forehead against the doorframe, staring at Sakura like the sun shone from every inch of her being. Naru felt that way too, as she stood beside Kakashi, watching Sakura work. 

 

Sakura straightened up, dumping the last of the solution back into its bowl and looking around at them. “He’s stable. But I haven’t gotten all of it out. I want that poison reanalysed and the results brought to me so that I can devise an antidote. And if you don’t mind I’d like access to your greenhouse. I need to know what you all have on hand if I’m going to be able to cook something up here,”

 

“Anything you need,” Temari breathed, straightening up and stepping forward, grasping Sakura’s hand, “Thank you,”

 

“There’s no need to thank me,” Sakura said, smiling at the taller girl. Temari nodded and smiled back weakly. 

 

There was a sudden crash, and Naru yanked Kakashi out of the way as a row of senbon flew through the air at him.  _ Not that he really needed my help to dodge anything. _ She thought to herself as she stepped in front of him and pulled the long kunai from her vambraces. 

 

“I have awaited this day for many years, White Fang!” An old woman shouted from the doorway, holding her hands in front of her threateningly. Naru snarled.

 

“Someone get this senile old bat back to the hospice unit!” She bellowed at Gaara’s old teacher, who was standing behind the woman, making to pull her back, “Before she fucking kills someone!”

 

“Lady Chiyo! The White Fang has been dead for years! These are the leaf we summoned to help us!” The teacher said, drawing the woman back into the hallway and stepping into the room. Kakashi let out a sigh behind Naru.

 

“You still throw yourself in front of danger, then,” He said, laughter in his voice. Naru shot him a smirk.

 

“Old habits die hard,” She replied, resheathing the knives and stepping away from her teacher. “And I wouldn’t have had to if you weren’t lollygagging around,”

 

“You assume I couldn’t have deflected them on my own,”

 

“You weren’t even moving-“

 

“This is neither the place, nor the time,” Sakura snapped, interrupting them both. Naru frowned. 

 

“You’re right. Let’s get this antidote cooking so we can go get Gaara,” She said sharply. All the Sand villagers turned and looked at her curiously. 

 

“We may need assistance in defending the village,” Baki said cooly. Naru looked up at him and tilted her head. 

 

“Well, we’ll go get it, in the form of your  _ Kazekage _ as soon as Kankuro’s better. Sound jazzy?”

 

Kakashi rested his hand on her shoulder and pulled her incrementally closer, hissing into her ear. “Did you forget that Tsunade-sama told you to  _ Follow Orders?” _

 

“I didn’t forget shit,” She whispered back, “I just thought the orders would be  _ reasonable _ ,”

 

“‘Defend the village’ is, believe it or not, a reasonable order,”

 

“We’re wasting time,” Sakura said. She turned to the sand villagers at large, “Please lead me to your greenhouse,”

 

Temari nodded, and she, Sakura and the teacher, (Barack? Berkeley?) followed her out. The old woman lingered, looking at Naru with narrowed eyes. Naru looked back, unabashed. Eventually, an equally ancient man came and rested his hand on her shoulder. 

 

“Come on, sis. Let’s go see what the little whippersnapper is up to with your herbs,” He said placatingly. The woman finally broke eye contact with Naru and nodded, leaving the room as well. Naru looked up at Kakashi, who had been watching the woman too.

 

“No wonder the siblings are so weird,” She said plainly, “Their whole village is batshit,”

 

“Be respectful, Naru,” He said, but his mask twitched in that way it always did when she told a joke he was trying hard not to laugh at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Playing God, Paramore
> 
> Temari: Mr. Medicine, Eliza Doolittle
> 
> Sakura: Hate To See Your Heart Break, Paramore


	12. Sakura, Flirting And Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura finishes what she started. So does Kankuro, despite everyone’s exasperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kankuro is a flirt.

Sakura tried her hardest to ignore Lady Chiyo as she hovered over her shoulder while Sakura brewed the antidote. The old woman didn’t say anything, and she wasn’t particularly distracting, but Sakura wasn’t used to being so closely monitored. It had been at least a year since Tsunade had set her loose in the hospital. It had been a long time since she had proved herself in her own village.

 

**_Guess you gotta prove yourself here too, huh?_ **

 

_ You’re not much help at all. _

 

**_You do the healing, I’ll deal the damage, how’s that sound?_ **

 

_ Sounds kinda almost exactly like the deal we’ve had going for four years. _

 

**_Then why dontcha stop telling me to pitch in with your apothecary adventures?_ **

 

_ Pipe down, I’m working. _

 

Sakura finished steeping the herbs and brought the pot back to the hospital room. She raised Kankuro’s head in her hand and poured the medicine into his mouth. He drank weakly, and then settled back. She stayed by his side, watching him intently.

 

A minute passed. Then two. Colour began to return to his skin. She reached down and undressed his wound. She cut away the necrotic flesh there, and flushed it again with a saline solution, before packing and redressing it. She checked his IV, and gestured for another bag of saline solution. Ten more minutes, and Kankuro shifted. His eyelids fluttered, and he woke up.

 

“Welcome back,” Sakura said, smiling, “Kiba is gonna strangle you when he finds out what you’ve been up to,”

 

“Oh no…” He said, smiling, “You’re gonna rat me out, aren’t you?”

 

Sakura laughed. “Maybe not me. Naru-chan is here too,”

 

“My Blondie?” He asked happily, “Where is she?” 

 

“Probably in a fistfight with your sensei, in a minute I’ll go get her,” 

 

“I’ll do it now,” Temari said from the doorway, looking exhausted, but happy. “She’s down in the cafeteria, terrorising the lunch ladies,”

 

The older girl disappeared. Kankuro smiled at Sakura again. “So you’re the ones they sent, huh? Good choices. Shame they didn’t send Kiba too,”

 

“Yeah, yeah, keep your fantasies in your head. If Kiba were here you wouldn’t have woken up. He would’ve killed you before I’d finished the first procedure,”

 

“A guy can dream, you know? Kiba and Blondie, both crying over my unconscious body…” Kankuro joked. His face fell a little. “I’m guessing they haven’t given you any indication that you’ll be going to get Gaara, huh?”

 

“My orders were to  _ follow _ orders,” Sakura said plainly. Kankuro frowned.

 

“And Naru’s too, I take it?”

 

“Right in one,” She said. The door crashed open.

 

“Kankuro! You’re awake!” Naru shouted, rushing forward and practically leaping on the hospital bed. Sakura grabbed her by the back of her tank top and yanked her backward.

 

“He’s still injured you idiot!” She snapped. Kankuro laughed again. 

 

“Hey Blondie, long time no see,”

 

“Keep calling me Blondie and you’ll never see again,” Naru threatened, smiling at Kankuro as he struggled upright, waving away Sakura’s protests.

 

“Look at you. You’re built like a brick shithouse,” He said, grinning as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stared Naru in the face.

 

“Look at you. You’re a grown-ass man now,” Naru shot back, crossing her arms over her chest and grinning. Kankuro snorted.

 

“I feel like an old-ass man. My joints ache,” He flexed his fingers, which still had a greyish tinge. Naru nodded.

 

“You won’t be fighting for a week or so,” Sakura said. Kankuro made a noncommittal sound, and continued staring Naru down.

 

“You gotta go get my little brother,” He finally grit out. She nodded again. No one looked around as Baki, Kakashi and The Siblings all entered the room, staring at Kankuro like he was a miracle. “You have to save Gaara,” 

 

“I will. You have my word,” Naru said, holding out her hand. “And I always keep my word,”

 

Kankuro didn’t take it. He smiled ruefully. “Not always, Little Tomboy,”

 

Naru paused, and Sakura could see her rooting back in her memory. Sakura groaned.

 

“Really? This is your priority right now? Is now the time to… ugh,” 

 

“When did I…” Naru asked, her hand dropping slightly as she thought back over all the time she’d known Kankuro. Ibara was cackling in the back of Sakura’s head. Realisation dawned over Naru’s features and she rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, forgot about that,” She leaned forward, one hand on Kankuro’s chin, turning his face a little, and planted a kiss firmly on his cheek. 

 

Everyone stared. Kankuro smiled.

 

“Only took you three and a half years to make good on that one,” He joked, his hand flying to his cheek as Naru straightened back up and crossed her arms again. “The cheek was a cheat, though,”

 

“Yeah, well, you only got it cause you were a useless bully back then. And you have a boyfriend, stupid,”

 

“Kiba wouldn’t begrudge me an old debt. Man, I should go back to being a bully,” He said, grinning. Naru rolled her eyes and turned away, facing Baki and smiling.

 

“Well, sir, mister sand-village-official man,” She said, “I just got some new orders to follow. I have to go save Gaara,”

 

“What? No one-“

 

Sakura cleared her throat. “Kankuro, as an advisor to the Kazekage and a Sand village Jonin, has enough rank behind him to issue orders,” She suppressed a smile, “And we were never limited as to who we could take orders from, anyway,” 

 

Both Sakura and Naru looked at Kakashi, who shrugged. “It’s true,” The Jonin said.

 

Baki paused for a moment, looking at the three leaf villagers, and for a moment, his mouth twitched as though he was going to smile. But then the moment was gone. 

 

“Alright, well. Kankuro managed to get a scrap of cloth from one of the assailants. It’s all we have to go on for tracking,”

 

“Well. It’s a good thing we know someone with a nose for that kinda thing,” Naru grinned, meeting Kakashi’s eye. Kakashi looked exasperated.

 

“And we can’t supply you with any backup,” Baki said, “All hands are on deck here,”

 

“Ah, well,” Lady Chiyo said, stretching her arms, “As I’m retired and none of you can tell me  _ anything, _ I’m free to backup whoever I like,” She looked at Sakura and Naru, “And I think it’s time I stretch these old legs of mine,”

 

“Sounds like a four man squad to me!” Naru said, putting her hands on her hips and grinning. Sakura smiled.

 

**_A six man squad._ **

 

_ Be quiet. _

 

**_Come on. You two are the ones who decided to make it a thing. I wish you’d just date and get it over with._ **

 

_ Oh my gods stop, you’re intolerable. Go to bed. _

 

**_Wake me up when the fighting starts._ **

 

_ Like you’d sleep through a fight. _

 

Sakura cracked her knuckles and pulled her gloves out of her pocket, sliding them back on and clearing her throat. 

 

“So. Where’s that cloth?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura: Knock ‘Em Out, Lilly Allen (this song is so fucking funny to me)
> 
> Kankuro: Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off, Panic! At The Disco
> 
> Naru: Let The Flames Begin, Paramore


	13. Naru, Fighting Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru shows off (as usual)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seriously though did canon naruto actually fuckign learn anything in those three years besides big ass fucking rasengan? like what were they doing other than loosening seals and fuckign around

They were back in the forest. Kakashi had tracked the Akatsuki through the desert easily, despite a set of pretty difficult diversions that they had set up to confuse them. False tracks in the ever shifting sand and scent trails carefully laid. Kakashi had seen straight through them, and now the trail had gotten direct.  _ Cocky _ . Naru smirked to herself. 

 

It seemed like a straight shot, like they were in the clear. Naru was feeling the buzz of a fight in her chest. But then they stumbled into a clearing and came face to face with the last person on earth she wanted to see.

 

Itachi Uchiha was patiently waiting for the four of them, as though they had pre-arranged a meeting there, and they were a little late. Naru’s heart leapt to her throat. She was frozen to the spot. There was something already wrong with her limbs, but Sakura was beside her, and she had to keep her head on this time, tokeep her teammates safe. She wasn’t a little kid anymore. If it was going to come down to a fight, then she’d fight him.

 

“Eyes down,” Kakashi growled. Everyone planted their gaze on the grass, swaying gently in the breeze.

 

“Ah,” Said that cool, calm voice, “It’s you,”

 

“Fuck you. I don’t have time for this!” Naru growled, scanning the ground until she found the hem of those Akatsuki robes and fixing on them. “Itachi, get out of my way!”

 

Itachi actually chuckled at that. Naru felt Sakura stiffen at the realisation of who was standing in front of them. “I was talking about Kakashi-senpai,” He said.

 

“Yeah well… Fuck you,” Naru said, swallowing a stutter. Her brain wasn’t working. Her heart was thudding against her ribs like a drum. Everything was wrong and  _ bad.  _

 

_ “ _ Naru,” Kakashi said evenly, “I heard from Jiraiya that you’ve progressed a lot in Taijutsu,”

 

“Kakashi-sensei, I have always punched shit,” 

 

“Well, there’s some shit here for you to punch,” Kakashi said. Naru looked over at him, surprised.

 

“You seriously think...?”

 

“Well, we don’t know until we try,”

 

Itachi’s foot shifted on the ground, and Naru was struck by a sudden memory. 

 

_ Jiraiya was sitting on a log in a park, and Naru was standing in front of him. _

 

_ “Like this?” _

 

_ “A little to the left,” He said, gesturing. She shuffled left, frowning at him. He smiled. “Perfect,” _

 

_ “What’s all this-“ _

 

_ But then Jiraiya was reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a coin. Naru scowled and crossed her arms. _

 

_ “We’ve already done this, you senile old coot,” _

 

_ “If you’d shut your damn mouth once in a while you’d practically be a Jonin by now. Stop complaining and listen,” He said, pulling the coin up and making it spin in his hands. “Now… you can dodge this lil bastard pretty good by sight,” He flung it out at her, and she cartwheeled away from it, still glaring at her teacher. He smirked. “But what if you fight someone you can’t see?” _

 

_ “Like… in the dark?” Naru asked sharply, “I’d light a fire or something,” Jiraiya growled and shot the coin out at her again, but she flattened herself to the ground and it flew over her head. She rolled away, then leapt to her feet as the coin returned to his hands. _

 

_ “Or an opponent who you can’t look at. Someone who uses-“ _

 

_ “Visual Jutsu,” She gasped, staring at Jiraiya. He rolled his eyes. _

 

_ “Only took you twenty years,” Jiraiya snapped irritably. Naru smiled.  _

 

_ “It’s not my fault you take so long to get to the point,”  _

 

_ “Tie your headband around your eyes and listen. When your eyes are gone…” Naru took off her headband and did as she was told, “your other senses get sharper,” _

 

Naru reached behind her head, and untied her headband, stepping forward toward Itachi, watching his sandals as she forced her limbs to do what she told them. The metal plate slid away, and her shaggy hair fell around her ears and face. She took a deep breath, and pulled the headband over her eyes. In the darkness, all that was left was the memory of the bruises she’d gotten in her training.

 

She tied the knot tight, and brought her arms slowly in front of her. She heard a soft laugh.

 

“You honestly believe you can fight me blind?” Itachi whispered, his voice no louder than the wind in the leaves. She felt her mouth twitch into a smile.

 

“Fighting you? I know I can do,” She hissed back, “It’s winning I’m not sure about. But! You never know unless you try, like Kakashi-sensei said,” Naru short stepped forward and balled up her fists in front of her face, bringing herself, she knew, within arms reach of where Itachi stood. 

 

She heard his robe shift, his feet in the grass. She shortstepped again and swung out, her first punch missing completely, but on her second, her calloused knuckles brushed the soft fabric of his cloak. She smiled. 

 

_ “When you can’t see, the world gets smaller. Fighting in the dark let’s you know what’s real, Naru,” _

 

_ “Will you shut up? This fucking coin is practically silent,” _

 

_ “Then listen harder, snotrag,” _

 

Step, step, swing. Itachi was fast, very fast. But she could hear him. Every time his body moved, she followed. Every leap, she chased. He tried to get behind her, but she felt the air shift across her skin as he sped around.  _ Why’s he only dodging? He hasn’t even tried to hit me…  _ He dodged, and she marked him, feeling him draw out, around, then behind her. She smirked, dropped, dodged his blow. She couldn’t tell if he had a weapon or not. It didn’t matter. Short step, pivot, aim. He dodged again, choosing to stay behind her.

 

That was when she did it.

 

She landed her first hit. A hard elbow to the ribs. She felt them break. 

 

She followed through, spinning on the spot, tangling her fists in his robe and throwing him to the ground. Short step, stop. 

 

She planted her foot and kicked out and upward, because he’d moved, and connected again, really connected. She was really smiling now. 

 

She felt him hit her. A solid strike to the collarbone. It probably bruised bone, but didn’t break it. She grabbed the arm and pulled him into her, body slamming him. 

 

She let out a laugh as she bent backward, suplexing him like she had his little brother all those years ago. she felt him topple over, but as he did, his other hand grasped the metal plate of her headband and pulled it off. She gasped, and shut her eyes, but it was like trying to hold water in cupped hands.

 

He reached out, landing a crushing grip on her ankle, and her eyes opened as she stepped out of his grasp. She didn’t look at his eyes, she didn’t. All she saw was his finger.

 

He pointed at her.

 

And then Sasuke was standing in front of her, glaring, shirtless and covered in blood, his ribs shattered, blood bubbling out of his mouth as he spoke.

 

“How could you?” He said, tears falling over his cheeks. He stumbled forward, pressing his hands to his shattered chest and then holding them out to her, as though he was asking for her help. She tripped backward, away from the boy.

 

“This isn’t real. It’s not real!”

 

Sharp pains in her back, six kunai buried deep in her back, and she turned, looking behind her, and there was Sasuke again, but with Orochimaru’s eyes, smiling sickeningly at her. He spoke in that sickly whisper that sent her skin crawling. 

 

“It’s real enough,”

 

“No, It’s not,” She said, bringing her hands together and closing her eyes, trying to ignore the pain. She built up chakra within her, balling it up, compressing it, but then the pain was gone, and she felt someone take her hands softly, pulling her forward.

 

“Naru, look at me,” Came Shikamaru’s voice, low and gravelly, “I’m so happy you’re back, Sunshine,” He said, and her eyes flew open, and there Shikamaru was, smirking at her, and her heart caught in her throat, and her control slipped, chakra began to trickle away from her…

 

“No!” She growled, shoving the fake Shikamaru away and bringing her hands back together, focusing again,  _ Come on, come on! _

  
“You can’t escape,” his voice, like cursive handwriting, and his eyes, red and intense and so much like Sasuke’s… He stalked forward and grabbed her wrists, pulling them apart again, roughly this time. She glowered up into his face and snarled. He tilted his head, looking almost… disinterested. She just kept her chakra in her chest, balling it up. Pressing it in like a spring. “You really think you can get away from me?  _ You _ ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Missile, Dorothy
> 
> Itachi: Blood On My Name, The Brothers Bright


	14. Gai, Do... Do I Know You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gai fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having such a hard god damn time writing this chapter I take no responsibility for this

Might Gai narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. Tall, and grey, with sharp teeth and eyes barely human… He looked so  _ familiar _ … but he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

 

“We  _ have _ met before, right?” He asked, moving to attack again. Kisame dodged him easily, bringing up water in a wall and blocking Gai’s strikes. 

 

“Are you kidding me?” The man growled, “You seriously don’t remember?”

 

“... Were you ever into jogging?”

 

“Gai-sensei! Just hit him already!” Tenten shouted as Kisame deflected her kunai with ease. Lee was knocked back, and Neji’s attack was entirely ineffective. 

 

“I’m really sorry. Can you give me a hint?” He dropped down under the sword the man swung at him, then swept his leg out at his knees. Kisame leapt out of the way, and glowered at him. “No no, I’ll get this. Did you ever spend time in a mining village near Konohagakure?”

 

Kisame summoned a wall of water, but Gai broke through it and landed a kick straight to Kisame’s head. The man fell back, and Gai started in again, using his leg to hook the sword away from Kisame and using the momentum of the sword to pull it back. His students all converged, but… 

 

_ Water prison. _ Gai grasped the handle of sharkskin and moved to strike its owner with it. But the sword grew spines that pierced his hands, and he was forced to drop it. Kisame smirked as it returned to his hands. 

 

“Sharkskin is very loyal,” He said, “And now it’s just you and I,”

 

Gai prepared himself, bracing for what was about to happen. He had to do this quickly. His students were  _ literally  _ holding their breath. He pulled out his nunchaku and shrugged his bag back on, swinging them briefly, striking up a rhythm. Kisame watched him with interest. 

 

“I guess it’s time we start,” He said, suddenly rushing forward. Gai struck out, setting a fast, vicious pace. He almost landed a few different strikes, but Kisame was an incredibly talented swordsman, and the sword itself… They fell into a rhythm. Gai striking out and Kisame countering. 

 

Gai had to draw a sudden halt. The sword had sprouted more spines. He leapt back, at the same moment that Kisame did. Kisame smirked.

 

“Now let’s get down to it,” He laughed, tossing Sharkskin into the air and making hand signs. He slammed his hands down to the surface of the water and it rose out like a beast. Gai moved in and thrust his fist through the shark-like form the jutsu had taken, but a moment later he was dragged beneath the surface of the water. As he sank to the bottom of the lake more of the sharks swam forward. He felt his teeth cut into his cheek. Blood and water mixed in his mouth. 

 

_ I guess I have no choice.  _ He thought as his feet found silt and sand. He braced himself, gathering his energy, clearing his mind.  _ First gate, gate of opening… Open! _

 

And the second.

 

The Third. Power rushed up and out of his body. His every cell screamed.

 

Fourth. Fifth. The water around him churned.

 

_ Sixth gate. Gate of joy. Open! _

 

Gai rocketed up, leaping out of the water and coming face to face with the swordsman. He struck out, sending the man flying back like a ragdoll and he leapt up again, out after him. He struck. Once, twice… He lost count.

 

Eventually, Kisame’s broken body hit the water’s surface, and then the water slowly dried. Gai landed in front of him, looking down at the his broken form…

 

But the man lying there was not the monster he had fought.


	15. Naru, Fucking Crazy Brain Torture Time Courtesy Of Sasuke's Hot Older Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi: Behold the Tsukuyomi 
> 
> Naru: Thanks. I Hate It.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to probably redo yesterday's chapter because I hate IT

Naru struck out, but Itachi just dissipated into a swarm of crows, reforming in the air behind her. She turned, but Sasuke was standing behind her again, deadpanning. She couldn’t stop herself from stepping back, smoothing her hand over her weapon’s pouch, checking that it was fastened. 

 

“You could stay here,” Sasuke said, walking forward. Naru looked up at Itachi, who was watching her, looking uninterested. “Stay here,”

 

“No thanks, you fucking weirdo,” She snapped, drawing back and punching the illusion Sasuke hard in the chest, not breaking eye contact with Itachi. The fake Sasuke disappeared. “Sasuke-kun would rather have choked than said some lame sappy shit to me,” Itachi tilted his head. “I’m disappointed. Is this the oh so famous genjutsu that everyone got taken out so easy by? Weak, man,” She growled, “Fight me hand to hand and we’ll see how you do,”

 

“We already did,” Itachi said, his voice monotone, “now it’s time we face each other on my terms,” 

 

Naru grit her teeth as suddenly she found herself pinned to the ground, several thick stakes driven through her each of her arms, pain clouding her every half-formed thought as Itachi stood over her. He reached down, and drew a kunai from her weapon’s pouch. She glared up at him, kicking out uselessly with her legs, straining against the iron she was pinned with. Itachi brought the knife to her face, and slowly cut back over the marks on her cheeks. He kept his eyes on her own as he did it. 

 

“You think this scares me?” She growled through her still gritted teeth, “Skin me alive and watch it grow back. Pain hasn’t scared me since I was twelve years old,”

 

“It shows a naivete that’s almost… charming, that you aren’t afraid of me,” He drove the knife deeper into her face, and she hissed in pain, but used the time he took deepening the scars on her face to finish gathering up her chakra. She finally let it burst out from her. The force of it sent ripples through the illusion, but it settled, and Itachi smiled. “A good technique for a normal genjutsu; and fairly well executed, but… this is  _ not _ a normal genjutsu, little one,”

 

“I weigh more than you, you bird boned creep. Who are you calling little?” she snapped, building up more chakra, digging deep, dredging up everything she had, trying as hard as she could to focus as Itachi paused thoughtfully, before plunging the knife into her stomach and pulling it out quickly. She winced, and gasped. Itachi tilted his head.

 

“You realise that I can keep you like this for  _ days _ ,” He said, plunging the knife into her again, “ _ Days, _ Naruto Uzumaki,”

 

Naru spat blood out of her mouth and smiled. “It’s cool that you wanna hang out with me and stuff, but I don’t have time. Maybe next month. I’ll check my schedule. And my name is Naru,” He stabbed her, in the ribs this time. She felt the familiar grind of a knife through bone, “I go by Naru, dude,”

 

Itachi looked at her for a moment, and then the illusion split. There were two of her, and two of him, and he stabbed her again, both iterations of Naru groaning as he withdrew the knife with agonising patience. “Naru, then,” He said, “You’ll be here for a while. Settle in,”

 

“No thanks. You’re a shitty host,” She panted, grinding her heels into the dirt and pushing out with her chakra again, sending massive ripples through the illusion. At the same time, it seemed to buckle from the outside in. 

 

And then Naru was kneeling in the clearing, watching Itachi fighting Kakashi, with Sakura and Lady Chiyo’s hands on her shoulders. She looked up at Sakura, her own hands shaking slightly. 

 

“Well… that was a thing that happened,” She said, struggling to her feet and stretching her arms out. Her hair fell into her eyes, but she didn’t push it back as she stormed up to Itachi, bringing her trembling hands together and unscrewing them.

 

She closed her eyes as she summoned her rasengan, and then slammed her wrists together. The two opposing directions collided, causing the chakra in her hands to spray outward. She pushed it straight into Itachi’s back, and blood and gore sprayed over her as he keeled forward at Kakashi’s feet. Kakashi stared up at her, slowly pulling his eye cover back down over his sharingan. 

 

“What was  _ that? _ ”

 

“I worked on it with The Sage,” She said, shaking her hands and looking down at the dead body between them. “It’s a modified rasengan. He wanted to like, just make them really huge or something, but I was like, ‘Dude, why don’t we just see what happens if I slam them together?’ and if I channel my chakra just right, it does that whole spoon-under-the-tap-while-you’re-doing-dishes thing,” She looked up at him, “Which is kinda cool,”

 

“Yeah… what’s it called?”

 

“Uh… Double Rasengan… Saw?” Naru said, rubbing the back of her head. Her hair really was getting too long. “No, that sounds stupid. Rasen… Blade… Thing?”

 

“Okay, well, you come up with a name for that while I figure out if Itachi here is dead or not,” He said, bending down and flipping the body over. It was fairly obviously  _ not _ Itachi’s body. The man lying dead before them was a complete stranger. Naru and Kakashi made brief eye contact, and she shot him a wry smile, wiping the blood off her face with her vambrace. 

 

“I’ll take that as a no on the ‘Itachi is dead’,” She said. He made a noise in his throat.

 

“I think you might just be right, kid,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Sick Individual, Halestorm
> 
> Itachi: You Only Live Once, The Strokes
> 
> Kakashi: I Predict A Riot, Kaiser Chiefs


	16. Sakura, Hold My Hand, Oh Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura talks to Naru. Other stuff almost happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura likes blondes

Sakura was keeping her eyes on Naru. There was something wrong about her. She was twitchy. She kept running her hands over her arms and face. She flinched once or twice, and seemed to be glancing around more often than she was looking where she was going. She hadn’t even noticed that her hair was still down around her face. It was shaggy, in the way a short haircut that had grown a little too long always was. Endearing and messy. Sakura sped up to run beside her, and caught her hand. Naru looked at her, surprised.

 

“Wha-“

 

“It’s okay,” Sakura said, “I won’t let anything sneak up on you. As long as you have me, you have a warning system. I’ll always have your back, Naru,”

 

Naru smiled a little smile at her. “You know, it seems like I take a long time to keep my word. Just look at Kankuro. But I do keep it Sakura-chan. I am going to bring him back for you,”

 

“Who?”

 

“Sasuke!”

 

“Oh. Yeah,” Sakura paused. She loved Sasuke, and missed him, she really did, but… If Naru was getting Sasuke back, it wasn’t really for Sakura. She wished that Ibara hadn’t let Naru promise that to her. It seemed like it was causing the taller girl a lot of pain. She couldn’t even remember it. She’d been unconscious while Ibara had been assaulting orderlies and smashing out hospital windows. 

 

“I really will. Now I’m back and I can…”

 

“Naru… You want him back more than I do. If you’re going to get him back for someone, get him back for yourself,”

 

Naru hesitated, and looked at Sakura. “You do want him to come home, right?”

 

Sakura hesitated, thinking over it.  _ What would happen if he came home? He’s a rogue now. A traitor. _

 

**_Well first thing that’d happen is I’d beat his ass. Then he’d probably go to prison._ **

 

_ Comforting.  _

 

“I want him to be safe… And happy. I wish with all my heart and soul that he’d never left in the first place,” Sakura said, squeezing Naru’s hand, “but… have  _ you _ ever thought about what’ll happen when you do bring him back?”

 

“He’ll be on the team again, and stuff’ll go back to how it was,” She said plainly. Sakura felt a deep pang in her chest. 

 

**_She’s so fucking cute._ ** Ibara cooed, like some people crooned over babies. 

 

_ Shut up. _

 

“I’m not… I don’t…” Sakura felt the urge to pull Naru in to her side and hug her. Naru looked over at her.

 

“What?” 

 

“I don’t know if it will play out like that. But, we’re gonna get him back, Naru, whatever comes next,”

 

**_Leave him where he is to rot._ **

 

_ Be quiet for once in your life. _

 

“First though, we have to save Gaa-chan,” Naru said, turning to Kakashi. “Hey Kakashi-sensei, are we close?”

 

“Very,” Kakashi said.

 

Chiyo was eyeing Naru. She leaned in and muttered something to Kakashi, who shrugged.

 

“She’s the one person who is capable of understanding him. She loves deeply, and widely too. It doesn’t matter where he’s from. He could be from the moon for all she cares. It’s about who he is,”

 

Sakura looked back at Naru.  _ She loves deeply, and widely. _ She ran her eyes over Naru’s profile. Her nose, the bumps from being broken more than once, the marks across her cheeks, the look in her eyes.

 

**_Please let me make a phrasing joke._ **

 

_ No. _

 

They all ran in silence for a little while. Eventually they came across a blocked off cave with a seal high on the rock. it was surrounded by water, and appeared… impenetrable. They all looked up at it. 

 

“He’s in there?” Naru asked, her voice heavy. Kakashi glanced at her, looking apprehensive.

 

“Yes,”

 

“Then let's do this,” She walked forward and planted her hands on the rock, pausing, looking focussed. Sakura felt her heart jump into her throat.

 

“Naru! Wait!” She said, rushing forward and pulling Naru back, “You can’t just do that! It could be a trap. It’s obviously sealed!” 

 

“What’s your point?” Naru growled, “Gaara is in there and he needs me. I’ll break the seal with my bare hands if that’s what it takes to get to him,”

 

Then, just a second after she said it, her face went blank. She turned to Sakura, horror in her eyes. She clutched her stomach.

 

“Naru...” Sakura said, starting forward, but then Naru suddenly doubled over and fell straight through the surface of the water they were standing on. Sakura dropped to her knees and reached into the water, yanking Naru back up out of it and onto the surface. She looked over her shoulder at Kakashi, who was rushing forward too, but Naru was coughing up water and pushing away from Sakura, sitting on the water’s surface and gasping for breath. She looked up at Sakura, then Kakashi, and clutched her stomach again.

 

“We have to get that fucking thing open right now,” She said. Sakura hummed. She reached into her pocket and grabbed Naru’s headband.

 

“Put this on,” She said. Naru took it, smiling as she tied it and pushed it up over her forehead. Sakura almost felt sad for some reason.

 

**_It’s because she looks cute with her hair down._ **

 

_ Why are you like this? _

 

“Okay! Let’s do this!” Naru said, determination etched deeply into her every feature.

 

“Do what?” came another voice. All four ninja turned.

 

”Ah,” Kakashi said, tilting his head and reaching down to pat Pakkun, “backup,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura: Bottom Of The River, Delta Rae
> 
> Naru: All Around Me, Flyleaf


	17. Naru, Nice To See You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru gets some comfort from some friends with very good timing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO AND NARU BEAUTIFUL BABIES ILY

Naru looked up and saw a hand being held out to her. She grabbed it and grinned, looking up at Rock Lee. He was even taller than before, with the same haircut and a chunin vest on. He pulled her to her feet and straight into a crushing hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning with her.

 

“Naru-chan I am so glad that you are back!” He cried, grinning. Naru smiled back at him, trying her best to ignore the empty aching feeling in her stomach.

 

“Eyebrows!” She said, hugging him back when he set her down on the surface of the water. She looked over at Gai, who she nodded to, Tenten, who shot her a cocky smirk, and then her eyes landed on Neji’s. She felt calm enter her, like an eye of a storm. A small thing. A dulling of pain and panic, not its removal.

 

“You still owe me a drink. I expect to collect,” She said, pointing at him. He smiled.

 

“I haven’t forgotten,” He said, “I haven’t forgotten anything,”

 

“Yeah, good to see you too, Naru, you muscle head piece of-“ Tenten snapped, walking forward and slapping Naru on the back good naturedly. Naru wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a quick squeeze.

 

“Hey, Ten-chan, what’s poppin’?”

 

“You apparently, damn, what do you bench? Buildings?” She laughed, poking Naru’s thick upper arm. Naru smiled, stepping back and flexing.

 

“When we get back we’re all going to train together,” She laughed, “And you can see what I bench,”

 

“So, what are we waiting for?” Tenten said, looking up at the boulder blocking the cave entrance. Naru frowned.

 

“It’s sealed. I don’t know dick about seals though. Has anyone here ever seen one of these before?” she asked, looking around at the group at large.

 

Gai frowned up at it, putting his hands on his hips. “Looks like a Four Seal. Don’t you think, rival?”

 

Kakashi looked over at him, then up at the seal. “I think you’re right, Gai-sensei,” 

 

“A what?” Naru asked, looking at the two men. They seemed to have come to some non-verbal understanding.

 

“Okay! Team Gai! Put these on,” He said, handing out devices that looked like chokers with wires attached. Naru cocked an eyebrow as Neji put his on. He flushed.

 

“Suits ya,” She teased, only half joking. He looked away as he replied.

 

“Be professional,”

 

“Yeah,” Naru laughed, “Cause  _ I _ can do  _ that _ ,”

 

Gai turned to his tam and put his hands on his hips. “Okay, team. A Seal Of Four is based on four different paper seals that all need to be removed simultaneously. That’s why we have the radios. Each of you need to locate a seal and wait on my signal, then we’ll all remove them at the same time. Be careful, because there are likely some traps and measures that have been taken against anyone trying to undo the seals. Keep your wits about you,” 

 

“Yes Gai-sensei!” Lee said.

 

“Understood,” Neji nodded.

 

“Yeah, gotcha,” Tenten crossed her arms. Gai put his hand in the center of their little circle. Lee started and slapped his hand over Gai’s. Gai turned wordlessly to Tenten and cleared his throat. She flushed, but reluctantly set her hand down on top of Lee’s. Gai turned his gaze on Neji, who was flushing and looking determinedly away. Gai cleared his throat again. Naru covered her mouth with her hand to hide her grin as Neji made eye contact with her again. Gai practically screamed through gritted teeth and sealed lips. Neji closed his eyes in mortification as he set his hand down on Tenten’s. Gai grinned.

 

“Go team!” He said, and they all darted away, Neji hesitating for a moment and making eye contact with Naru again, just before he left. Naru turned to Sakura, who looked as mortified as Neji had. 

 

“We should have a handshake that we do!” Naru said, wiggling her eyebrows. Sakura shot her a disgusted look. Naru turned to Kakashi. “Come on, don’t tell me you don’t think it’d be cool if we all had a secret handshake,”

 

“No,” The Jonin said coldly. Naru shot him a grin.

 

“You’re all just afraid of my handshake prowess,”

 

“Why do you do these things?” Sakura said quietly as they all turned to look up at Gai, who was holding his hand to his ear and listening intently to his students on their radios.

 

Naru rested her hand on her stomach again. It felt cold. And empty. Like something that had  _ always _ been there in the background was gone. Like a piece of her was missing. She swallowed.  _ Come on guys, let’s get this done as quickly as possible. He needs me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: W.D.Y.W.F.M?, The Neighbourhood
> 
> Neji: Simplify, Young The Giant
> 
> Sakura: Written In The Water, Gin Wigmore


	18. Neji, The Sun Is In Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neji thinks some stuff to himself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow golly gee yesterday was a weird day huh

She had made eye contact with him. He’d seen her. Lee had hugged her. So had Tenten. He could have reached out and touched her. He’d been so close. He hadn’t.

 

She looked stronger than before. But her wide, square jaw, her twice (maybe more than that) broken nose, the way her eyes had lit up when she saw him- they were all the same as they had been. His heart had made a bid for freedom when she had reminded him of their promises to one another.

 

“Got mine, where are you at, Lee?” Tenten’s voice crackled through the radio, startling him. Neji frowned down at his own seal. He wanted to be back at the rendezvous point, ready to back Naru up, to keep her safe. How strong was this enemy, who had taken out the Kazekage? Who Naru was most likely about to charge in and challenge head on? He was worried about her.

 

_ But she’s perfectly capable. She’s been training with a member of the legendary sannin. She can handle herself. _

 

“I have finally found it!” Lee crowed. Neji flinched.  _ How would you go about turning the volume down on these things? _

 

“Everyone is in position?” Gai’s voice called.

 

“Yes,” Neji said.

 

“I am, Gai sensei!”

 

“Uh-huh!” 

 

“Then on three,” Gai said, “one, two… three!”

 

Neji pulled the seal back and off the rock, and at first, it seemed as though nothing had happened. But then behind him, something began to form. He turned just in time to face a perfect clone of himself. 

 

Tenten’s voice came through the radio again. “Hey… are you guys… seeing what I’m seeing right now?” 

 

“If you’re seeing a clone of yourself looking ready for a fight, then yes, I am,” Neji said. His clone struck an offensive pose and tilted his head. Neji moved to counter. “Looks like we’re going to have to beat ourselves in order to go and help our friends. I have to say, I’m almost impressed,”

 

“How can we possibly beat ourselves?” Tenten asked over metallic clanging on her end.

 

“We will just have to do our best!” Lee said, accompanied by the thudding of what was most likely already a raging fight. Neji moved forward, using airpalm. The clone countered it perfectly.  _ Of course it did.  _

 

The clone also stayed well outside of his eight trigrams, and used rotation flawlessly. It was almost exciting. Like a puzzle he had to figure out. Some riddle that needed solving.  _ How do you defeat yourself? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neji: Love Lockdown, Kanye West


	19. Naru, Losing Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what happens when you take Naruto and make him more unstable and stupid? Naru happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a true chaotic bisexual.

After Gai removed the seal, all the members of team Kakashi watched as he began to fight a clone of himself. He signalled for them to keep going without him, and drew the clone away from them. Naru swallowed the lump in her throat as Sakura stepped forward. 

 

“I’ve got this part Naru, save your strength,” She said, winking over her shoulder. Naru stared.  _ Ibara? _

 

Sure enough, it was her left hand that she drew back when she punched the boulder. It crumbled, the rocks tumbling into the water at their feet as Sakura’s body stood in the middle. When the dust settled, they were all looking into a pitch black cave. Ibara glanced around at them.

 

“What’re we waiting for?” She asked, smiling, and she walked inside. Naru scrambled after her, closely followed by Kakashi and Lady Chiyo.

 

When her eyes adjusted to the half light of the cavernous entry, she saw three figures, waiting on the far side of the cave. She stepped forward, her heart catching in her throat. 

 

“Gaara!” She called, her voice breaking. Kakashi caught the back of her shirt. There was a hunched man, standing a little way away from the other two. A strong arm wrapped around her waist. One figure was prone on the ground, and the third was seated on them. Naru blinked. 

 

It was Gaara on the ground. He wasn’t moving. She struggled against Kakashi as he redoubled his grip. “Gaara get up! What are you doing?” She screamed, leaning forward. The man sitting on him laughed.

 

“He’s dead,” He reached down with his one arm and patted Gaara’s unresponsive face. 

 

“No!” She screamed, kicking out one of her legs, struggling against Kakashi’s arms, “Where the hell do you think you’re sitting? Get off of him! Gaara! Get your punk ass up!” Tears gathered in her eyes as her voice cracked again. The blonde man was still laughing.

 

“Itachi really wasn’t kidding, he did burst in and bark first,” He chuckled, “that one’s the nine tails,”

 

“Deidara-” The hunched figure snarled.

 

“Let’s see if I can get two, shall we?” The man, Deidara, snickered, “Steal one out from under Itachi’s feet,”

 

“Listen up you bitch ass motherfucker, Imma rip that ponytail right off your goddamn stupid head, do you hear me? I’m going to eat your fucking heart, you piece of shit! Gaara! Get up!” Naru’s voice was changing. It was getting lower, coarser, more beastly. She could feel the power swelling up in her chest. Her teeth cut into her bottom lip as she broke free of Kakashi’s grip and sprinted forward. Everyone seemed surprised. Kakashi shouted something that Naru couldn’t hear over the pounding of blood in her ears. 

 

She dodged under something that came whipping out at her from the hunched figure, and tackled the blond man. She slammed her fists down into his face.

 

There was an echo in the cavern. There was nothing but confusing noise and the man under her. She heard metal clash against metal at her back, but ignored it as she slammed her fist into his chest. It plunged straight through, but something was wrong.  _ Clay? A substitution _ . She turned just in time to see the man, a bruise blooming on his cheek, on the back of a clay bird that was holding Gaara in its mouth. He shot her a smug look. 

 

“Give him back!” She snarled, her vocal chords shredding as she felt herself losing all control.

 

“Catch me if you can, brat,” 

 

Naru screamed, and the air crackled around her. She sprinted out of the cave, ignoring everything else besides the man flying away from her with Gaara in his clutches. She scrambled along the canyon wall, falling onto all fours and feeling the rock crumble under the force of her hands and feet striking against it.

 

Someone was yelling her name, but it didn’t matter. She was gaining on Deidara, who was looking over his shoulder, a little surprised. Something flew out at her, and she swatted it straight out of the air and into the cave wall opposite. It exploded there, spraying rubble across the canyon. 

 

Naru made to leap out onto the bird’s back, but something caught around her ankle and yanked her back. She moved to hit it, but Kakashi pinned her to the wall and pulled his eye cover away, staring up at the man. He felt her breath hitch. She forced Kurama back. She didn’t want to hurt Kakashi. She  _ refused _ to hurt Kakashi. The last thing she wanted was to harm another person she cared about the way she’d hurt Jiraiya.

 

The air changed, and warped. Everything began to shift, and the blond man’s arm disappeared into a black hole. Kakashi grunted, and closed his Sharingan eye. The air stilled. Naru stared up at the man as he continued to fly away, now without either of his arms. She turned to Kakashi, who was panting for breath, still pinning her with his hands on her shoulders. 

 

“Let me go,” She growled, fixing her eyes on his. His eyebrow twitched. 

 

“Get a handle on yourself, kiddo,”

 

“Get your hands  _ off me _ , Sensei. I have a bastard to kill,”

 

“We’ll kill him once your eyes are blue again,” He said, “you need to calm down,”

 

Naru took a shaky breath, and closed her eyes. “Kakashi-sensei, please, let me go get Gaara back,”

 

“We’ll get him back together, but first, look me in the eye,” Naru opened her eyes, and met her teacher’s. He nodded. “There’s blue. Let’s go,”

 

He let her up, and she immediately shot out after the blond, racing across the wall of the canyon and then full body tackling him off of the clay bird. He swore as she wrapped her hands around his throat and began slamming him through every tree branch they came across. She couldn’t even summon the mind power required to use jutsu.  _ I’ll kill him with my bare fucking hands.  _ He grunted as she slammed him into the ground; she climbed over him, bringing her face down close to his and grinning wide. 

 

“It’s time to pay up for what you did, you son of a bitch,” She growled, feeling Kurama begin to rise again as she shifted over him and tilted her head. She looked down at him. He was eyeing her as though he’d never seen anything like her before. She felt her teeth cut into her bottom lip again. 

 

“Killing me won’t bring him back,” He said, smiling up at her despite his bruised and battered face. She felt something snap inside her. She lost contact with the world. 

 

_ She was lying on a red couch, looking at a darkened enclosure. _

 

**_“SO, BRAT. YOU DECIDED YOU NEEDED ME AFTER ALL,”_ **

 

**_“_ ** _ Make him suffer, _ **_”_ ** _ she said coldly, sitting up and looking at her demon. He laughed. _

 

**_“WOULD I DO ANYTHING LESS?”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Shake The Ground, Cherri Bomb
> 
> Ibara: Ignorance, Paramore
> 
> Kakashi: Stomp Me Out, Bryce Fox 
> 
> Deids: Watch Me, The Phantoms


	20. Ibara, Punch A Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *laughter* Smack That Bitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love my angry daughters

Ibara had been able to do nothing but watch as Chiyo and her puppet held that weird sword-like tail off of Naru as she had attacked the blond man. Kakashi had run out after her, swearing his head off as Naru began to lose control. Ibara knew it was the first time she’d seen the last member of their little four man team- and she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to see him again.

 

Frankly, Ibara was fucking sick of  _ seeing.  _ Ibara was ready to hit something. She looked over at Chiyo, who was fixated on the hunched over monster that was left behind. Bloodshot eyes glared at both kunoichi. Ibara cracked her knuckles. 

 

Sasori’s tail whipped through the air. “So, Chiyo-baa. You’ve come to face me,”

 

“Apparently not. I’m facing the mask you’ve chosen to hide behind,” Chiyo drew out a scroll and unravelled it, glaring at her grandson as Ibara stretched her arms out. She cracked her neck.

 

“When are we going to try to kill each other?” She asked sharply. Chiyo and Sasori both glared at her. She looked at them, surprised. “What? I don’t wanna wait here for Chiyo-baa to die of old age, let’s get this rolling,”

 

Sasori ripped off the robe and exposed his full form. Ibara grinned. She looked over at Chiyo. 

 

“Can you keep his weapons off me like you kept them off Naru?”

 

“I can try, girl,” Chiyo growled, biting her thumb and summoning a second puppet, “I can try,”

 

“Good,” She said, running forward and moving to punch the shield on his back. He shifted out of the way, much faster than she’d expected, and her fist hit the ground. A crater formed, and the entire cave trembled upon impact. Ibara snarled, turning to look at Sasori, who’s attack was quickly countered by one of Chiyo’s puppets. Ibara smiled and ran at him again, her fist connecting with a stalactite, and sending a shower of rocks over the pair of them.

 

_ Take out the supports for the cave. It’ll crush him. _

 

**_It’ll crush us and Chiyo too though, genius._ **

 

_ Do you honestly think Chiyo would get taken out by a rock? And you can’t punch your way out of a little rock slide? If you can’t manage, give the body back. _

 

**_Yeah right. You haven’t let me out in ages._ ** “The body is mine,” Ibara snarled, lunging out again and punching through the man’s mechanised arm. It flew off his body, spewing poison tipped senbon and clattering to the ground pathetically. She followed through and knocked out another stalactite. More rocks rained down overhead. Sakura smacked one out of the air toward Sasori. He slashed out at it, sending it crashing into the cave wall. Cracks radiated outward from the point where it hit.

 

_ Almost there, almost there… _

 

**_Just a little more._ **

 

Ibara glanced at Chiyo, and gestured for her to stand back, before she ran across the cavern and slammed her fist into the wall. It shook, and buckled. The cavern began to collapse overhead. Ibara channeled chakra into her fists and began punching everything that fell onto her, fighting her way upward, listening as the entire cave collapsed on her, Chiyo and Sasori.

 

_ I hope Lady Chiyo survived. _

 

**_You’re the one who told me not to worry! Fuck!_ **

 

_ I’m sure she’s fine. _

 

Ibara stood for a moment, heaving for breath, and turned to where Chiyo should have stood.

 

“Hey old bag! You still kicking?”

 

“Disrespectful brat! What kind of stunt was that?” the old woman growled, a puppet shoving away the rocks from overhead. Ibara rushed forward and yanked more boulders away from the suna nin. 

 

“Just trying to spice things up a little,” She said, shrugging. Chiyo’s mouth twitched, but then her eyes travelled over Ibara’s shoulder to land on a point well behind them. 

 

Her face went slack with shock. Ibara turned, and stared as a man struggled up out of the wreckage of the puppet that Ibara had thought was Sasori. He couldn’t be older than nineteen or so. His akatsuki robes were torn, revealing his collarbone and a section of his chest, marked by discolouration and a seal. 

 

“You got further than I thought you would,” He said, bringing his hands forward and smiling, “But you’re still going to die,” Ibara grinned back.

 

“Why doncha fucking try it, bud,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ibara: Miss Me, Leikeli47
> 
> Sakura: Wash & Set, Leikeli47
> 
> Chiyo: Big Bad Lady (feat. 2Pac & Kevin Vernando), The Lady Of Rage
> 
> Sasori: Voodoo - Syneptic Remix, Bryce Fox, Syneptic


	21. Naru, And Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru wakes up. She doesn’t remember going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kurama = venom don’t talk to me

Naru awoke flat on her back and staring up at the forest’s canopy. Her skin felt tight and burned.  _ What happened? Why’d you let go? _

 

**_YOUR DAMN TEACHER SEALED MY CHAKRA. JIRAIYA MUST HAVE TOLD HIM HOW. HE’S FIGHTING_ ** **OUR** **_PREY NOW._ **

 

_ Fuck! Shit! Goddamn it all!  _ Naru scrambled to her feet and followed the sound of explosions. “Kakashi-sensei! You fucking-“ She slipped and fell, swearing and looking down at her hands, burned completely skinned. They were bleeding, and dirt and debris were sticking to her exposed muscles. She swore and struggled back to her feet, wiping her stinging hands off on her tank top and continuing forward. Kakashi was avoiding the little clay creatures that Deidara was spitting out at him. Naru snarled. 

 

“Kakashi-sensei! What the fuck?”

 

Both men froze and looked at her, mid fight. 

 

Naru gesticulated wildly, flicking blood across a few nearby trees as she did so. “This was  _ my _ fight!”

 

“Naru you can’t just lose control like that,” Kakashi grunted, kicking a clay spider off of his leg and frowning at his student. She scowled.

 

“I can do what I want as long as I complete my mission,” She snapped. Kakashi shook his head.

 

“You can do what you want as long as what you want is what you’re told,” He shot back. Naru frowned, and cracked her knuckles. 

 

“Well no one has told me shit other than get Gaara back,” She turned to Deidara. “And this bitch has him,”

 

Deidara smirked. He looked like someone had shown him the business end of a meat tenderiser. “You think you can do anything without the power of that little demon of yours?” He taunted. Kakashi groaned. Naru smiled, glaring up at him. 

 

“Oh, I don’t know. Wanna find out?” She brought her hands together and summoned around ten clones. Deidara cocked an eyebrow. 

 

She and her clones leapt forward, kicking off of a tree and launching at him. He began chewing quickly, and spat out several small birds, each of which exploded on a different clone. Naru fell back and slipped behind a tree, dodging just out of sight and summoning another pair of clones, one of whom snuck around behind him. 

 

He fell back slightly, turning to the mass of clay that was the bird he’d been riding on before Naru had tackled him. He took a bite out of it and began chewing furiously before spitting out a small army of little clay spiders, all of which swarmed out at Kakashi and Naru’s remaining clones. One of them turned and threw Kakashi straight up into the air before the bombs went off, sending him into the canopy where he caught himself, almost catlike.

 

Naru frowned.  _ He’s tired. He’s not reacting as quickly as he normally does. _ She scrambled up her tree, watching as her other clone came out from behind Deidara and summoned a rasengan. Deidara turned, and grinned. 

 

“You thought I didn’t see you, huh?” He laughed. Naru’s clone yelled as one of his spiders climbed up over her shoulder and exploded in her face. Naru flinched, but then dropped down behind Deidara, grabbing him by the head.

 

“Yeah, I really thought I had you there,” She growled, yanking him back and slamming his head into her knee. He crumpled to the ground, and she stepped over him, moving to the bird’s body and ripping away at its head. she saw her blood smear across the clay, and then she found his arm. She grasped it, and pulled. It was stiff, and cold, and her heart leapt into her throat as Gaara’s body came into view. 

 

He was definitely dead. She fell to her knees, and clutched him to her. His skin was almost grey, and his lips were bloodless. His eyes were even more sunken than she’d known them to be. She pressed her face into his hair, and felt tears sting her eyes as she rocked back and forth, cradling him in her arms. Gaara no sabaku was gone. 

 

She was cold. She was empty. He was the only person she’d ever met who could really, really understand.

 

And now he was dead.

 

And it was all because she couldn’t get there fast enough.

 

She Picked Gaara up, and walked him away from the bird that had carried him off. She set him down on some soft, mossy ground. She wiped her eyes, and sniffed. Kakashi dropped down out of the treetops and moved to rest his hand on her shoulder. She brushed his hand away. 

 

Her feet found the ground again.

 

Her body moved by itself. Like she was one of Kankuro’s damn puppets. She turned, and walked toward Deidara, whose eyes had slid half shut. She reached down, and grasped his ponytail.

 

“Naru! No!” Kakashi shouted, But Naru pretended she couldn’t hear him as she turned and whipped Deidara’s body into the nearest tree like she was trying to cut it down. 

 

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as she dropped him, letting him land at the foot of the tree and walked along him, grabbing one of his ankles and building up chakra, channeling it into her hands as she grasped his ankles. she dragged him back, across the little clearing and toward a different tree. Kakashi rushed forward, holding his hand out to stop her. She glared at him.

 

“Get out of my way, Kakashi-sensei,” She snarled. He shook his head.

 

“Naru, you aren’t thinking straight,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. She dragged Deidara closer, holding him up, bloodied and beaten, half dead.

 

“I’ve never thought straight. But you don’t know me anymore, Kakashi-sensei,”

 

“I know you better than you know yourself, and I know you aren’t the kind of person who kills people for revenge,”

 

Naru looked down at Deidara, whose mouth was dripping and bloody. She hesitated.

 

_**KILL HIM.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru and Kurama: Venom, Eminem


	22. Neji, Stronger Than A Half An Hour Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neji solves a problem and does stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE NEJI

Neji frowned at his copy. He was beginning to feel the effects of chakra depletion. He struggled for breath as the clone stood, unaffected.

 

“Is it just me or are these motherfuckers getting stronger?” Tenten growled through his radio. Something clicked in Neji’s head.

 

“I’ve got it,” 

 

“You’ve got what?” Tenten growled. Neji used rotation, trying to keep his clone back.

 

“I know how to beat them,”

 

“Nothing less could be expected of you, Neji!” Lee said excitedly. Gai grunted.

 

“Okay, shoot. What’s the plan?” he said, a loud thud audible in the background as he spoke.

 

“Well, it’s easier for you and Lee, Gai-sensei,” Neji said, avoiding his clone’s attack and frowning as he shattered a boulder with his air palm. “The thing is: these copies of ourselves are exact from the moment that we broke the seal. We need to be stronger than we were when we broke the seal. For you two, you simply have to open a gate. Two, if you’re feeling particularly exhausted,”

 

“Well that’s great for them,” Tenten snapped, her voice accompanied by a cacophonous clashing of metal, “But what about us, Neji? We can’t open a gate,”

 

Neji pursed his lips. “You and I have to exploit our own weaknesses,”

 

“And how, exactly, do we do that?” Tenten growled. Neji dodged another attack. 

 

“Well, that was the big problem,” He said, “but I think I figured it out. We just have to switch clones. Your clone can’t beat my rotation and you can find my clone’s blind spot,”

 

“But then wouldn’t we just still be stuck in a draw?”

 

“These clones don’t have one thing that we have,” Neji said, drawing back, leading the clone in the direction of Tenten’s ongoing fight. 

 

“What’s that?”

 

“They don’t have the determination that we possess, or the ability to stratigise,”

 

”That’s two things,” she grunted. Neji thought he heard pain, as well as irritation, in her voice.

 

”I’m heading over to your position, Tenten,” He said, turning tail and running. He watched as the clone followed him. 

 

“While you’re doing that,” Gai said, “Do you mind giving us an update on what’s happening with our friends? I think I just heard a rockslide,”

 

Neji dodged another air palm and focused on where they had left Naru and the rest of her squad. His heart leapt into his throat. It had collapsed. he could see figures moving, but then he was forced to dodge another attack and couldn’t tell who it was.

 

“It’s caved in completely. It’s a brutal fight, from what I can see. As soon as you and Lee can, you should go and assist them, Gai-sensei,” He said. He tried his best to quell his nerves.  _ Naru is a capable person. She can look after herself. _

 

Neji heard Lee’s voice crackle through the radio as he opened the first gate. He dodged another attack, watching as it toppled several trees. 

 

He saw the riverbed, littered with weapons, and Tenten throwing knives and bombs at her clone long before he was in range. Her shirt was torn, and she had a cut high on her cheekbone. Her clone, like his, looked immaculate. He aimed an airpalm at her and struck out, blindsiding her and kicking her back. Tenten started, and looked around, grinning when she caught sight of him. 

 

“Neji! Damn, you’re fast,” She drew out a pair of scrolls, glaring at his clone and sidestepping, letting him move around her so that they could stand back to back, facing each other’s clones. 

 

“Are you ready?” He asked, watching as her clone peeled itself off the canyon wall and tilted its head, glaring at him. Tenten smirked.

 

“Born ready. Let’s do this,”

 

Neji ran forward, using rotation to deflect the clone’s weapons, and then used airpalm again, knocking her back into the rock face for a second time. Tenten leapt upward, into the air, and sent a flurry of senbon down over Neji’s clone. It used rotation, but Tenten maintained the shower until the jutsu ended, and several of the shuriken got through, lodging themselves in it’s back.

 

“Good shot. Mildly terrifying,” Neji said. Tenten laughed. 

 

“It’s good to know we can kill each other,” She said, leaping down and hurling a volley of kunai and paper bombs at the clone’s blind spot and landing one. She grinned as it went off, killing the clone. Neji struck a massive shuriken out of the air and smiled back. Tenten’s copy had just stepped into range.

 

“Eight trigrams, sixty four palms!” he called, before beginning the attack. The clone collapsed half way through. Neji rolled his shoulders and looked over at Tenten, who was beaming.

 

“Time to go get your girl,” Tenten said, wiggling her eyebrows. Neji felt his face burn.

 

“She’s not ‘my girl’, don’t be ridiculous,”

 

“Well, don’t drag your feet,” Tenten said, starting to climb up the cliff face, “She’s a hot commodity now,” 

 

Neji frowned, and followed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neji: Too Old To Die Young, Brother Dege
> 
> Tenten: Shame On You, Bang Bang Romeo


	23. Naru, The Price You Could Pay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru does things and Kakashi says words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya’ll I swear. i love you guys so much <3 <3

Naru swung Deidara into a tree again, as hard as she could, and the sound it made as he struck was immensely satisfying. It was halfway between a crunch and a thud. Satisfaction welled up in her chest for a moment, and she dropped him. 

 

But as she looked at it, Deidara’s body slumped in a way that dead bodies didn’t slump. It almost… oozed.

 

“Fucking shit! he used a substitution! Gods damn it all! I was so close!” She turned on the spot, glaring around. “Where are you? Come out and face me like a ninja! Hiding, slinking around like some snivelling academy brat…”

 

“Naru! Mission complete! Let’s return and help Sakura!” Kakashi said, picking up Gaara’s body and glaring at Naru as she began to move around the clearing, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, looking for any flicker of movement. 

 

**_WE SHOULDN’T HAVE HESITATED. WE SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM THE FIRST TIME._ **

 

“Come out, come out,  _ Deidara… _ I owe you a shinobi’s death,” She lowered herself down, onto all fours, and began prowling around the clay carcass in the center of the clearing. “Come and claim it,” she snarled.

 

“Naru, stop! You’re a good person, don’t do this!”

 

Naru stood and spun on the spot, glaring at her teacher, holding the dead body of her friend. “Being a good person won’t bring Gaara back,”

 

“Neither will selling your soul here. Come on. We can go help Sakura-“

 

Naru’s arm shot out. She caught a clay bird and whipped it at a tree trunk, where it exploded. She turned again, looking up at the branches overhead. “Come out and face me,” she shouted, feeling her throat tear a little.

 

“Tell me why I,” Deidara’s voice echoed, seemingly circling overhead, “A long distance fighter, would try to go hand to hand with you. Without any damn arms I might add,”

 

“Because you should have died about twenty fuckin’ minutes ago and at this point we’re just dragging it out,” Naru said, folding back down onto all fours and digging deep, trudging up some of the kyuubi’s chakra and snarling. She felt the cloak begin to emerge again, her raw, torn skin beginning to burn. More small explosives flew at her, but exploded upon contact with the cloak, ineffectual against it. She leapt up into the canopy and glared around, baring her sharp teeth and feeling an inhuman growl rise in her chest. 

 

She couldn’t see him. She couldn’t hear him either. She stilled, listening hard. She let her eyes slide closed, and took a deep breath, willing her heart to slow so that she could find him, pinpoint the man who’d taken Gaara from her.

 

“Sakura could die, Naru,”

 

Naru froze. Her heart beat heavy against her ribs. She turned and looked down at Kakashi, who was still holding Gaara’s body in his arms. She stared down at him.

 

“She could die while you’re here trying to get revenge. Killing him won’t bring Gaara back, but it could mean leaving Sakura to die,” Kakashi shifted slightly, stepping forward, “Naru, let’s go kill the man she’s facing, if we’re going to kill anyone,”

 

Naru paused, feeling Kurama begin to slide away in the wake of grief, and guilt. The cloak began to recede. She swallowed.  _ If Sakura died while I was here chasing some other enemy down…  _

 

She dropped out of the tree she’d perched in and straightened up. “Okay,” She said, her voice hoarse, “lets go,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: thoughts & prayers, grandson
> 
> Kakashi: Stick Up, grandson
> 
> Deids: 6:00, grandson
> 
> (I AM ON A GRANDSON KICK RN)


	24. Ibara, Heartbreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ibara likes to punch things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Fun Fact! I Have A Phobia Or Puppets, Mascots, And Clowns! This Chapter Is Like Possibly My Worst Nightmare.

Ibara frowned. Sasori was talking shit, rambling about power. Bad guy stuff. She wasn’t really paying attention. That was Sakura’s thing. She just wanted to hit him.

 

Then there were what seemed like hundreds of puppets, filling the air, blocking out the sun. Ibara couldn’t help but grin.

 

“Oh, _ hell  _ yes,”

 

“You’re a very strange girl,” Chiyo said, frowning up at her grandson’s army. Ibara looked at her.

 

“Trust me, I’m a lot more normal than I used to be,” She laughed, before striking off the ground and launching herself into the air, putting her fist through a few puppets at once and slinging their broken forms downward, leveraging herself into more of them. 

 

She pulled out a knife, and deflected an oncoming stream of senbon. She planted a leg on a puppet’s head and kicked out, shattering another puppet and flipping back, crushing two more together as she landed nimbly on her feet. Ibara grasped another puppet by the ankles and swung it hard against the ground, sending its different parts flying and looking up. For a moment, she had a straight line of sight to Sasori. His cocky smirk had slipped- just a little, but still. She winked at him. 

 

_ Will you stop showboating and get on with it? _

 

**_Let me have this._ **

 

Ibara began fighting her way through toward Sasori, shattering puppet after puppet easily, but the more puppets she broke, the more skillful Sasori’s handling became, until she finally needed Chiyo’s cover. Chiyo, of course, was quick and eager to supply it as Ibara continued to lay waste to Sasori’s army. Finally, she reached him, and then she grasped his head. 

 

“Bye, bitch,” She laughed, crushing his skull in her hands. Just before she did it, she lurched a little to the side, avoiding a massive chain with a blade on the end that shot out of Sasori’s  _ own torso. _ She stared down at the place where it had grazed her, and felt the ice cold chill of what was undoubtedly poison entering her system. She dropped what was left of Sasori and fished Sakura’s hypodermic out of her bag, plunging it into her thigh. She sighed, looking up at the sky in relief.

 

“Hey, Sakura!” She said aloud, not caring what Chiyo might think, “Do you want the body back or can I keep it for a while?”

 

_ You can have it for a little while. I feel like taking a nap. And you haven’t had a chance to hang out with Naru yet. _

 

“Thanks, Sakura,”

 

“Sakura! Duck!” Chiyo yelled, and Ibara flattened herself as a mass of black  _ something  _ shot overhead.

 

“What the fuck?” Ibara growled, rolling over and leaping to her feet, glaring in disbelief as  _ Sasori- _ the same man whose skull she just crushed like a _ raw fucking egg _ \- was smirking at her. He was shirtless now, with his purple seal in full view. Not only that, but his joints were false. He’d made himself into a puppet. Ibara’s eyes fell back on the seal in his chest.

 

_ I don’t know what that is, but you should stab it. Stab it a lot. _

 

**_Thanks, brains, I totally couldn’t have guessed that._ ** Ibara thought as a snarl played her lips. Her eyes flicked to the side. There was a new puppet-  **_Don’t these jackasses ever run out of fucking puppets?_ ** And this one looked… weird. 

 

Chiyo was gaping at it in horror. “No… Not…”

 

“That’s right, you old hag,” Sasori laughed, “I got that bastard. And now…”

 

“Sakura, get out now-” Chiyo started, but Ibara just straightened up and cracked her knuckles. 

 

“It’s Ibara at the wheel right now, and I don’t need a fucking history lesson on this idiot’s toys. I’m gonna crush it either way,” She looked at Sasori, whose eyes were sparkling. He looked delighted. 

 

“You’re overly cocky,”

 

“You’re underestimating us,” Ibara laughed, shaking her legs out and hopping a little before running at him. His moves were quick, quicker than anything she’d ever seen, but she had taken the antidote, and it’d be working in her system for another three minutes. She slammed her fist into the rubble at their feet, sending a shockwave through the earth. Sasori staggered, his fingers halting as he struggled for balance, and she launched herself at him again. One of Lady Chiyo’s puppets covered her back as she caught Sasori again, yanking one of his arms straight off. She swung it at him like an axe, and it shattered against his side, poisoned senbon dropping to the ground as she moved forward again, but Sasori was smirking. Ibara glanced over her shoulder…

 

Chiyo’s puppet was laying useless on the ground. Ibara fell back, looking over at Chiyo. The puppet that had been guarding her was fallen too. Ibara looked back at Sasori in horror. 

 

**_What did this fuck do?_ **

 

_ Ask him and the cocky bastard will tell you. Just look at him. He’s bursting to brag about it. _

 

“What did you do?” She asked, furrowing her brow. Sasori smirked.

 

“This puppet here is made from the body of the third Kazekage. He had a very  _ specific  _ talent,”

 

“He could control magnetic sand. He could form it into any weapon he wanted… and…” Chiyo cut in. Sasori’s smirk widened. He was almost smiling.

 

“And that sand can clog the joints of puppets. Making them useless,”

 

“You’re useless, you redheaded fuck,” Ibara snapped. 

 

_ Okay, okay, so we don’t have cover, but it’s okay. For the next two minutes we’re good to take small hits. Sorry Ibara, but you might have to pull a Naru on this one. _

 

**_Is this permission to fuck up the body?_ **

 

_ Not the face! If you break my nose again I’ll end you. _

 

**_Our nose!_ **

 

_ If you break  _ our  _ nose again I’ll end you, then. _

 

Ibara’s face split into a grin. She started forward again, aiming straight for Sasori. The puppet blocked her fist. She leapt back, looking down. It had scratched her arm, and the poison was stinging like nothing else, but her antidote was still working. She smirked. 

 

“Oh boy, I’m about to open a can of whoop-ass on you and your stupid doll,” She growled, swinging her arm outward, shaking the better part of the blood off. Sasori cocked an eyebrow at her. 

 

“You _ really are _ far too sure of yourself,” 

 

“Blah blah blah, I’m an akatsuki member and basically a god amongst puppet masters, I killed the third Kazekage,” Ibara sneered, slapping the puppet away from herself and watching as it swung back like a punching bag. Sasori’s mouth twitched. “Still gonna destroy you,”

 

_ Stop taunting him and finish the job. _

 

**_Why do you hate having fun?_ **

 

Ibara took a deep breath. Sakura was right. She only had another thirty seconds or so. She wasn’t fast enough to navigate around Sasori’s puppet. But someone was.

 

_ Are you thinking what I’m thinking? _

 

**_We do share a brain._ **

 

“Hey Chiyo-baa!” Ibara called, falling back again, “Wanna play with a real doll?” 

 

“Speak plainly, girl!” Chiyo snapped, using her arm as a chakra shield and frowning as it got jammed, just like her puppets. She popped it off and let it fall to the ground. Ibara grinned.

 

“I’m your puppet now, Chiyo. Get me in there,” She levelled her gaze at Sasori, who tilted his head, “I wanna rip his damn heart out,”

 

And then Ibara felt, not for the first time, or likely the last, someone else take control of the body. Her legs moved without her meaning for them to move, her muscles were not involved in the way her body dodged around the puppet, and slid along the ground toward Sasori. Her body lurched upward. Her arms moved forward. Her hands thrust into his chest and twisted the round… thing that sat there. His heart.

 

His eyes flew wide for a moment, but then he slumped forward, onto her. He shifted his head a little closer to her ear. 

 

“As a reward… for beating me… I can give you a little information,”

 

“My reward for defeating you is your death,” Ibara said, tightening her grip on his heart. He smiled.

 

“You’ve been looking for Sasuke Uchiha. Orochimaru’s newest pet project. Well, I stationed a spy in his camp. I’ve been planning to meet with him at Tenchi bridge in a week,” Sasori said, his voice getting weaker as he spoke, “You could go there and gather information on him, if you wanted,”

 

“Kind of you,” Ibara said, twisting the heart and pulling it out completely. She felt it whirring in her hand as she watched the light fade from the puppet’s eyes. She crushed the thing in her fist. “Thanks a bunch, mister,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ibara: Conceited, Remy Ma
> 
> Sasori: Chicago, Bryce Fox


	25. Naru, A Pain Not To Be Bourne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru meets back up with Ibara. other things also probably happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, quick warning!!! this chapter is kinda heavy. also: naru is a pain in everyone’s ass, all the time. also!!! i’m campin again so that’s what that is

By the time Naru got back to her, Sakura’s body was sitting patiently atop a massive piece of rubble, amidst an army of shattered and abandoned puppets. The body’s left hand rose and waved.

 

“Oh, it’s Ibara,” Naru said, jogging forward and clambering up the rock to get closer to her friend. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

 

Ibara grinned down at her. “Just scratches. Sakura says hi!”

 

“Hey Sakura. How are you ‘Bara? Haven’t seen you in ages,”

 

“I’m good, I’m good, just riding the afterglow. It was a good fight. How was yours?”

 

“No good. Couldn’t finish the job. And…” She looked down, feeling the dam in her chest break. Her voice cracked. “He’s gone,” She swallowed thickly. Ibara pulled her gives off and shoved them into her pocket. her bare, calloused hands came forward and cradled Naru’s face. She planted a gentle kiss on Naru’s sweaty forehead and smiled. Naru looked up at her.

 

“It’s not your fault. And we can always go ponytail hunting later. I’m just glad you’re okay,”

 

“Sakura?” Naru asked hesitantly. Ibara laughed.

 

“Guess she’s rubbing off on me, huh? Nah, it’s still me,” Ibara looked up at the sound of footsteps. “Oh, cool. Team Gai is back,” 

 

Naru looked around, pain swelling in her chest as she saw the other four ninja run up, looking shocked at the carnage around them. Naru slid down the stone, leaving Ibara to give them a blow by blow and returning to Kakashi’s side. She reached out, silently, and took Gaara’s body from her teacher. 

 

He let her, and, with nothing more than a second’s eye contact, left her with him. He strode over to the others to listen to what happened. Naru turned, and set Gaara down on the riverbank. Tears began spilling over her cheeks, but she didn’t sob. She didn’t scream. She knew he wasn’t waking up. She rested her forehead against his chest, and cried silently. 

 

“I’m sorry, Gaa-chan,” She whispered, “I wasn’t fast enough. I should have known when I first felt it. I should have… I’m so sorry,” She reached up, and brushed his hair back, the way she had when they’d had their first real conversation. When she’d told him she wasn’t scared. When she’d told him they were the same without knowing. She brushed her thumb over the scar. 

 

“I wasn’t ever scared of you. Not once. But by every god there ever was or wasn’t… I’m fucking terrified of living in a world where you don’t exist. Come…” Her voice cut out, her throat felt swollen. She swallowed, and shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the reality of Gaara being dead. “ _ Please  _ come back!” She sobbed, feeling every inch of her soul shatter. This was worse than losing Sasuke- She could get him back, and he’d  _ chosen  _ to leave. Gaara hadn’t chosen to leave, and he  _ couldn’t _ come back. He’d been taken and she now had to live without him. She collapsed over his body and felt herself shake with it. The grief, the pain. She couldn’t draw breath- how could she survive this feeling? Surely it could kill her, surely this feeling would end it. And how  _ fitting _ an end…

 

“If you’d kindly get out of the way,” Came a voice behind her. Naru turned, gasping for breath, clutching Gaara like someone would take him again. 

 

“Wha-” She sniffed, then glared at Chiyo. “None of you Sand gave a  _ shit _ about him. Not beyond what he could do for you.  _ You _ stuck the fucking thing in him and now he’s  _ dead _ . His whole life, you turned your backs on him, and now he’s fucking  _ dead _ and it’s because of _ you  _ and your  _ greed _ and how you wanted a  _ weapon _ . Well, we aren’t weapons. We’re fucking people! And whatever sick, fucked up thing you wanna do to him now, you can’t! I’m not gonna let you do anything else to him, do you hear me?” She stood, and glowered down at Chiyo. Ibara was suddenly next to Naru, and she picked her up. Naru blanched.

 

“Thank you, Sakura-san,” Chiyo said, stepping forward and kneeling next to Gaara’s body. Panic rose in Naru’s chest. What was Chiyo doing?  _ Is she going to burn him? Try to put some weird zombie jutsu on him? Use his body like a puppet? _

 

“Ibara,” Ibara corrected, pulling Naru back. Naru kicked out.

 

“Strange girl,” Chiyo replied, holding out her hands and placing them on Gaara’s chest, closing her eyes. 

 

“Stop! What do you think you’re doing! Can’t you just leave him alone?” Naru cried, clenching her fists and struggling against Ibara. Someone else came and rested their hand on her shoulder. She didn’t even look to see who it was. 

 

“Be quiet, Naru, She’s a medical nin,” Ibara growled. Naru kicked out again, almost managing to get a foot on the ground. 

 

“Well, that can’t do shit, ‘cause he’s dead. She’s just messing with his body for fun! Stop it! Didn’t you do enough while he was living? You can’t let him have peace even when he’s gone?”

 

“She’s bringing him back, you idiot,” Ibara snapped, “Can’t you infer something for once in your life?”

 

“You can’t… That’s not possible!” She snarled. 

 

“Just shut up and stand still,” Ibara said grimly. Lady Chiyo took a shuddering breath.

 

“You two,” She said. Everyone stilled. Chiyo looked at them with sharp eyes. “It’s rare in this world for a man to acknowledge a woman for her skill and power. This world we live in is cold, and it doesn’t care if you’re a man, a woman, or whatever the hell  _ you _ are,” She said, nodding at Naru. Naru nodded.  _ That’s fair. _ “it’ll lay you out flat and kill you just the same. But I have one wish for you, and all the kunoichi that come after you. It’s that you don’t  _ wait _ . Don’t wait for them to acknowledge you and don’t wait for this world to be kind, because it’s not going to happen. Every inch you gain in this world is an inch that you pried from all those who would have you cower and cook,” 

 

“I will never cower a day in my life,” Naru said, her chest growing ever tighter.

 

“Neither will I,” Ibara agreed. “and she can’t cook anyway so don’t worry about that,” Chiyo nodded, then turned back to Gaara.

 

“I’ve used a lot of Chakra. I hope… I have enough,”

 

Naru, at that, finally shook Ibara off and strode forward. She settled across from Chiyo and met her eyes. She placed her hands over Chiyo’s. “You don’t need to use more of your own,” She said, bringing up her normal, human chakra and pushing it into Chiyo’s hands and down through Gaara’s body. She hesitated as she thought she saw a muscle twitch.  _ Was that really... _

 

Naru redoubled the chakra she was pouring in, feeling the tattoos on her palms burn a little. Chiyo looked up at her, something stirring deep behind her eyes.

 

“Don’t be so eager, child, it is my life we are trading, not yours,”

 

“What?”

 

“This day ends without me,” Chiyo said coldly. Naru gaped at her.

 

“If I put enough of  _ my _ chakra into this, will I be the one who dies instead of you?” 

 

“What?” Chiyo said, but Naru smiled and pulled even more chakra up in her chest, gathering it up, bringing it forward.

 

“Race you to the finish, Chiyo-baa,” She laughed, “I’d die for Gaara any day of the week,” She forced the chakra out of her body, into Chiyo’s hands, into Chiyo’s jutsu. Chiyo looked horrified.

 

“Stop, that’s enough!” Chiyo said, “let me do this,” but Naru shook her head. 

 

“I don’t let my comrades die. I’ll save every life I can, and if it kills me then it kills me, and that’s that,”

 

“Naru, stop!” Someone yelled, but she didn’t. Gaara’s fingers were twitching now, and she could have sworn his knee jerked. Her vision began to go black at the edges. A small smile played the edges of her mouth as she pushed all the chakra she had left into Chiyo’s hands, and then fell backward, her vision going black.

 

_ She was seated on a red couch, and looking up at Kurama, who was looking at her, furious.  _

 

**_WHAT WAS THAT, BRAT?_ **

 

**_“_ ** _ I saved a friend and died because of it,” _

 

**_WHEN WILL YOU LEARN-_ **

 

_ “You can’t convince me it was the wrong thing to do, Kurama. Don’t even try,” _

 

**_YOU DIED, YOU FOOL!_ **

 

_ “Yeah, so? Am I real life dead?” _

 

 ** _ONE DAY I WILL JUST LET US BOTH PERISH, BRAT._** _Kurama growled, his tails thrashing. Naru smiled._

 

_ “Not today though, right?” _

 

_ Kurama growled, and then Naru felt her shoulders jerk back. _

 

All the air was knocked out of her as she hit the ground. She groaned, every joint aching. Her eyes cracked open. Someone yanked her back to sitting.

 

“You thick-skilled, pea brained, overzealous-”

 

“I’m not jealous,” Naru groaned, putting her palm on Ibara’s face and pushing her back a little. “Where’d that even come from?”

 

“Zealous, you dim-witted wrecking ball,” 

 

“How are you not dead?” Chiyo said weakly, her hands shaking. Naru smiled weakly at her.

 

“Good to see you’re okay too,” She laughed, looking down at Gaara, who was breathing easily, but still asleep. She scrambled over to him and touched his face, grinning ear to ear. She looked up at Chiyo. “you brought him back! You actually brought him back you  _ beautiful _ human being!”

 

“Strange child,” Chiyo grumbled, getting up.

 

Naru just beamed and hovered over Gaara, touching his face, which was clammy, and sweaty. His neck, where a pulse thrummed like a drum beat. His eyes slid open. 

 

“Naru? It’s you…”

 

“Obviously. Do you know anyone else with this stupid face?” She laughed, pulling him up into her arms and hugging him, pulling him up so that he was sitting and rocking side to side. “Oh, never scare me like that again!” She cried, leaning back and pressing her forehead against his, squeezing her eyes closed, hoping he couldn’t see the tears on her face, “I thought I’d lost you,”

 

“‘Couldn’t lose me,” He muttered, bringing his thumbs up to her cheeks and wiping the tears away, “What was it you said? ‘I know what it’s like to be alone, but you don’t have to be,’? Well… yeah… that,”

 

Naru blinked at him, then grinned. “Did I say that? Cheesy, man,” She leaned back, and got to her feet, picking him up and cradling him. She hesitated for a moment, then set his feet on the ground and ducked under his arm. “Maybe it’d be a better show if you had feet on the ground… you know, as Kazekage and all… but I’ll carry you if you need it,”

 

Gaara flashed her his small smile, and nodded. “I’ll let you know,” he said hoarsely. Naru grinned back. They started walking forward, and she gestured awkwardly at team Gai. 

 

“Hey guys! Good fights? Let’s get back to Suna and grab that drink Bright Eyes owes me, yeah?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru, this whole arc: And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, Jennifer Holiday (this one has been up my sleeve for months for this scene specifically)
> 
> Ibara: King and Lionheart, Of Monsters And Men
> 
> Gaara: Wolves Without Teeth, Of Monsters and Men


	26. Gaara, Welcome Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara daydreams a lot. The council is threatened by a teenage fox ninja.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow Hey Guess What? Gaara deserves literally everything and so much happiness what the fuck.

They were in the Kazekage’s office. Elders were crowding the desk, proclaiming that they needed to redouble security. That the village needed to increase their detection and be more secretive. As they said this, they glanced at Naru, who was reclining on the far side of Gaara’s desk and picking at her fingernails. 

 

They were all incredibly unhappy that she was there, but she had downright refused to leave Gaara’s side, and given the reputation that jinchuriki had in Suna, ( _ Whoops)  _ no one was about to press the issue with her. All her teammates, however, had been forced out, and were waiting in a nearby restaurant for Gaara to finish his Official Kazekage Business. Naru stretched out easily along the desk, reaching out and picking up a paperweight of his. A blue glass sphere he’d bought shortly after coming home from his first... visit... to Konoha. She held it up and peered into it. It was precisely the same shade of blue as her eyes.

 

She turned and looked at him, smiling that over-wide smile that squeezed those blue eyes shut. She seemed massive. Broad shouldered, dark skinned, and taller than him by an inch or two. He smiled back, before another one of the elders snapped at him to pay attention.

 

Naru turned her attention to the man as well, scowling at him. Her foot came up onto Gaara’s desk, and she leveraged herself up, into the man’s face. 

 

“Watch your tone, old man,” She snarled. The man gulped audibly. 

 

“You have no right to speak here,” He said back, voice unsteady. She smiled that jagged half grin Gaara’d seen only a few times since he’d known her- a rare, false smile, meant to warn, instead of comfort.

 

“The way I see it, you don’t either, but as we’re all here listening to you blabber on, I figure I have every right to tell you to mind  _ how _ you do it,”

 

The elders all seemed to shift uncomfortably. Naru flopped back against the desk and began playing with a kunai that she pulled out of her vambrace. Naru seemed determined that everyone in the room would be not only respectful of Gaara, but  _ nice _ to him, a protectiveness that he was entirely unacquainted with. 

 

His siblings tolerated no  _ disrespect  _ on Gaara’s behalf, but no one had ever been insistent on  _ kindness _ . But now it felt as though he had a massive blond guard dog stretched across his desk, smiling at him and snarling at the council; maybe it would be the responsible thing to do to call her off, but he couldn’t help himself. He was having fun. An incredible feat, considering what had occurred over the last several hours.

 

He thought back over the events that had passed. What death had felt like. What he’d seen after he’d been forced out of his body- himself as a child, alone, unloved. He remembered coming back, his eyes opening to a dark face and tear filled blue eyes. 

 

How Naru had, after all, had to carry him part of the way back. All the konoha nin seemed to struggle walking in the sand, trying to cope with the way it shifted underfoot. Naru had even gotten breathless, which was something he hadn’t ever seen from her outside of a fight. Admittedly, they were about three hundred pounds together, and she was ankle deep in the unyielding sands of a terrain she wasn’t used to traversing  _ after also dying like he had _ , but somehow she was still attempting to keep up conversation, not only with him, but their party as well. 

 

A few hours travel brought them to meet a large group of Sand nin, Temari and Kankuro at the head, who both body slammed Naru, sending them all sprawling in the sand, laughing in a tangle of limbs. Kankuro brought them all into a crushing hug, Naru getting caught up in it too and snorting as her scarred cheek was squished against Temari’s. 

 

“Ah, I can’t believe you actually pulled it off!” He’d crowed, grinning. 

 

“Aren’t you on bed rest for a week?” Naru sneered back at him, all the while submitting to Kankuro’s bear hug. Kankuro had ignored her. 

 

Eventually Kankuro had let go of them, and he and Temari got up. Naru moved to help Gaara up again, but was promptly shoved out of the way as two chunin crowded him, both a year or two younger than Gaara, both flushed and calling out his name, asking if he was alright. Naru seemed disgruntled. Kankuro strode over and helped her up. 

 

“Don’t worry,” His older brother had said to her as the students had fawned over Gaara, “They always go for the dark, mysterious types,” Kankuro laughed. Naru pouted.

 

But then Temari had swung her fan at the two suna chunin and chased them off, leaving Naru to scoop Gaara back up. 

 

As they approached the village, Gaara had been overwhelmed with the reception they received. When he came into view there were cheers, deafening, like the whole village was celebrating his return. Naru set his feet down, so that he could walk, and Kankuro ducked under his other arm to help support him. Naru and Kankuro had walked with him through the entrance of the village as every citizen there greeted him like a hero.

 

Naru had been beaming at him. He had failed to swallow the happy lump in his throat.

 

He was snapped back to the present as Naru slid off his desk and forced him sideways in his desk chair, settling next to him in it despite the fact that it was most certainly  _ not _ made for two people. She began fiddling with the sleeve of his Kazekage robe. The elders all looked scandalised. Gaara smiled at her again. 

 

_ I wish she could always be here. _ Naru tugged harder at his sleeve.

 

“You seem distracted. Are you Okay, Gaa-chan? Do you want anything?”

 

“No. I’m fine. I need to finish reviewing security improvements and then we can meet with the others. You can go on ahead if you like,” He said. Naru pouted and rested her chin on his shoulder.

 

“I’m not going without you,” She said. He looked back up at the elders, who were eyeing Naru distrustfully. The implication in their looks, as though Naru was a risk, bothered Gaara.

 

“We cannot house the Jinchuriki of Konoha for an extended period of time,” an old woman snapped.

 

Gaara scowled, but it was Naru who replied.

 

“I’m not here as the ‘Jinchuriki of Konoha’ I’m here as a Ninja that  _ you all called  _ for aid. Now I’m giving it, specifically, to the Kazekage. Them’s my orders. Which I guess I follow now, which is cool,” She shrugged, leaning into Gaara, “You’re all too uptight. You’re not in danger as long as we’re here. You should be more worried about Konoha leaving than us staying. We’re at your disposal for defence at the moment, two full teams, including three incredibly skilled jonin, three frankly amazing chunin…” She paused, scrunching her face up, “and me,” She added as an afterthought, “all here under orders to obey  _ this guy _ ,” she said, wrapping her arms around Gaara, “Stress less, my friends, and don’t get too eager to see us leave if you’re feeling jumpy. Honestly, is it like… a rule that councils be made up of stuffy old people who are out of touch with the population of the village? Cause that’s a like…  _ thing _ . I’ve noticed that that’s a  _ thing _ ,”

 

The elders all looked at her, appalled. Gaara tucked his chin down, hiding his smile behind his hat as Naru stared the council down.  _ She better become Hokage one day. If anyone would shake things up… _

 

It took another half hour to review and deliberate over the security changes. Naru huffed and fidgeted and snapped at the elders the whole time. Finally, when he was done, Naru got to her feet and dragged him after her. She pulled him out of the building and toward the restaurant where they were supposed to meet the other nin and his siblings. She scowled. The expression didn’t suit her, but the sentiment it portrayed was endearing. 

 

“Oh, they pissed me off! Let’s go off and start our own village, and there’ll be no elders and no council, and you and I will be the Kages together,”

 

“Two Kages?” Gaara asked, a smile playing his lips. She smiled at him.

 

“Yeah, there’s no reason why not as long as we get along, and you and I will always get on just fine, dontcha think so?”

 

“Well when you’re Hokage one day, we will be two Kages, and we’ll see if it works,”

 

“But you’ll be so far away, and we’ll have all these stuffy old buzzards around trying to tell us what to do. No. I want you and I to share a desk,”

 

“Would you share our desk like you shared mine just now? By laying across all my paperwork?” Gaara said, hoping he came off as playful instead of forbidding. Naru grinned.

 

“What, you’d rather look at some old writing than my sick threads? What kinda friend are you?” She teased back, plucking at the high neck of her shirt. Her collar shifted down, and Gaara’s eyes fell on the thick silver stripe running across the back of her neck. A death scar. Gaara paused, cold sliding into his stomach. Temari had told him that Naru had come back from her fight with Sasuke with a wound on her neck, but to leave a scar so thick on her skin…

 

Naru seemed to notice his eyes on the mark, and blushed, pulling her collar back up. She smoothed it upward at the back, covering the scar effectively and smiling.

 

“I’m so glad I’m back. I’m so glad you’re safe. I’m so glad about so much,” She rubbed the back of her neck again and smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes this time. “I’m so happy,” She lied. He knew she lied. He didn’t say anything. What  _ could _ he have said?

 

She lead him into the restaurant, and they settled amongst their friends. Naru chose a seat between Kankuro and Neji, and Gaara was forced to pick the only remaining seat, between Lee and Sakura. Naru was loud, and she made everyone laugh. She threw her arms around Neji and Kankuro, and seemed to occupy more space than her size would normally have required. Gaara wondered if it was just the effect of walls that made her seem so oversized. When they were outdoors she seemed, not small, but not unusual in size. But when she sat in comparison to others and indoors, she seemed to take on proportions larger than life. She lit up the whole room. Everyone was infected by her laughter, and her smiles. Gaara smiled at his plate. 

 

He was, beyond anything, glad that she was his friend.

 

He was, beyond even that, sad that she was broken like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Adore, Amy Shark
> 
> Gaara: Darlin', Houndmouth


	27. Naru, Forced To Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru gets kicked out of town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boooyyy I am tired tonight folks

Naru was packing. It had been made fairly obvious that she was the reason they were being dismissed from Suna so quickly. It had only been three days. She couldn’t bring herself to regret what she’d said to the elders, though. She’d been right. If they were all so jumpy about security, they should be happy to have extra hands on deck, no matter where those hands may have come from. 

 

She slung her borrowed red travelling cloak over her shoulders. Temari had leant it to her, because Naru had whined about getting sand-blasted walking through the desert. She strode out of the hotel, meeting Sakura and Kakashi outside of it. She smiled at him. 

 

“Ready?” Kakashi asked. Naru shrugged.

 

“As I’ll ever be. Hey, did Chiyo-baa say anything worth hearing?” Naru asked curiously. Sakura rolled her eyes.

 

“Because you’ll really understand the ins and outs of advanced medical ninjutsu,” She sighed, turning on her heel and leading Naru out toward the village gates.  _ Maybe I deserve this… _

 

They met up shortly with team Gai, and Naru beamed at all of them. Temari and Kankuro had been talking with them, Tenten and Temari off to the side, both looking  _ really _ invested in what was being said. They stopped upon seeing team Kakashi. 

 

“Hey!” Naru said, high fiving Lee and winking at Neji. “You all ready to head home?”

 

“We were born ready and with all the power of youth!” Gai said, clenching his fist in front of his face and grinning. Naru grinned back.

 

“Hell yeah! You go, Gai-sensei!” She laughed, turning and smiling at Kakashi. Kakashi’s mask twitched.

 

“Well then, let’s head out,” Kakashi said. But Kankuro caught Naru’s hand, and she turned to face him as he pressed a note into it. 

 

“Can you give this to Kiba?” He entreated. Naru looked down at the thing and then tucked it up into her vambrace, next to her kunai.

 

“‘Course, Kankuro-chan, no problem,” She smiled up at him, and he drew her into a hug. 

 

“Thanks for saving Gaara,” He muttered. She laughed.

 

“I didn’t do much. Frankly I kinda got in the way for a big part of it,” She admitted, breaking away and ruffling her hair. Kankuro rolled his eyes.

 

“When the hell did you get  _ modest _ ?” He grumbled. But he couldn’t help the smile that played over his lips. She shook her head.

 

“Oh whatever, loser. Go shake some sand outta your shoes,” She turned to Temari and smiled. “I’ll catchya on the flip,” She said, saluting. Temari strode forward quickly and drew her into a tight hug. 

 

“Yeah. And keep an eye out for Shikamaru for me, will you? He gets into a lot of trouble for such a lazy guy,”

 

Naru swallowed. “Yeah, of course,” She said, smiling. “Count on it,”

 

Naru turned there, and they walked out of the village, passing through the long, narrow canyon in their thick defensive wall. Naru looked back and checked that everyone was with her. After a quick headcount, she moved to pull her hood up. Someone called out.

 

Naru turned, and found Gaara running up. She grinned. “Thought you were too busy running the village to say goodbye to me,” She laughed. Gaara smiled his little smile at her and shook his head.

 

“Never too busy for you,” He said, smiling, “I wanted to say thank you,”

 

“Ah, yeah, well,” Naru rubbed the back of her neck and smiled, “You know me. Well I’m no good at goodbyes, so I’m just going to…” She dropped her hand uselessly at her side. Gaara just kept smiling, and held out his hand. She looked at it, and her throat got tight. 

 

“Ah..” She said, feeling tears threaten to spill out of her eyes. “That’s… I’m no good at this kinda…”

 

She looked down. Sand was softly swirling around her wrist, and it gently pushed her hand to meet with his. Tears did begin to well up in her eyes as Gaara took her hand and shook it. 

 

“That’s… so cheesy, you big nerd,” Naru cried, stumbling forward and hugging Gaara. The boy laughed quietly in her ear, and wrapped his arms around her too. 

 

“It looks like I owe you my life twice over, Naruto Uzumaki,” He murmured in her ear. She squeezed him and then let go, her hand tingling from where his sand had touched. She smiled at him, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

 

“You don’t gotta do shit to pay me back but keep breathing, Gaa-chan, that’s all I need,” She said. He nodded.

 

Naru turned away, drawing her hood up and fastening the face shield. She turned one more time, and waved at the siblings as she strode out to meet the rest of her team.

 

“How come everything in your life is so dramatic?” Tenten asked sharply. Naru sighed, and held her arms out. 

 

“I can’t help it, I’m just picturesque. Dontcha think so, Sakura?”

 

“Ugh,” Sakura groaned, turning around and stomping off, fairly ineffectively in the sand. Naru smiled. 

 

“Tough crowd,” Naru laughed, running up and bumping into Neji. She smiled up at him, even though her mouth was hidden. He smiled back.

 

“What’s on your mind, Bright Eyes?”

 

“Nothing,” He said, “I’m just glad you’re back,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Pack Up, Eliza Doolittle
> 
> Gaara: Lover Come Back, City and Colour
> 
> The Girl, City and Colour


	28. Sakura, And Somethin’ Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura doesn’t give mouth to mouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (sakura should at least try mouth to mouth)

* * *

“She needs us now? But we aren’t set to go until tomorrow. Why’s she need us now?” Naru asked, dropping her down from the tree branch she’d been using as a pull up bar. Sakura sighed.

 

“You really won’t ever learn to just be quiet and do as you’re told, huh?” 

 

“I’m suddenly deaf and haven’t heard anything you’ve said since ‘we have to go to the Hokage’s office’. I might need mouth to mouth,” Naru said, closing her eyes and pressing her hand to her forehead. Sakura scoffed and grabbed her other hand.

 

“Mouth to mouth won’t bring your hearing back,” Sakura said coldly. Naru grinned.

 

“Wow, I definitely need mouth to mouth, because I didn’t hear that either,”

 

“You’re deplorable,” Sakura laughed, tightening her grip on her hand. She lead her through town and into the dome. They stood for a moment, hand in hand, before Naru let go and opened the door.

 

“Oi! What the hell are you doing here?” Naru snapped, glowering at the man who stood in front of the desk. 

 

“Hello to you too, little brat,” Jiraiya said, crossing his arms and smiling. Naru stepped into the room and crossed her arms. 

 

“I just got back! Surely we don’t need to do something already!”

 

Sakura’s heart seized in her chest.  _ No. Not already. She just got back. _

 

**_I’ll stab him._ **

 

_ No, we aren’t going to stab him! _

 

**_She’s not leaving again. No fucking way._ **

 

“I’m not here for you, kiddo,” He snapped. Naru’s face was almost comical. Pure shock.

 

“What are you doing here then?” She said.

 

“I need help on a mission from your teacher,” 

 

“My teacher?”

 

“Kakashi-sensei,”

 

Naru blinked. “Kakashi-sensei? But he needs to come on tomorrow’s mission with Sakura and I,”

 

“Can’t wait, kiddo. That’s why we’re here. You’re gonna need fresh meat,”

 

Sakura frowned, and looked at Lady Tsunade. The Hokage folded her hands. “Two more members will need to be appointed to you,”

 

Naru frowned. “We don’t need more teammates. Sakura and I are a four man team all on our own, and we don’t need anyone else,”

 

Sakura’s fingers twitched.

 

**_Damn right._ **

 

_ Hush, will you. Gods damn it all. _

 

“You’ll do as you’re told like a good soldier,” Tsunade snapped. Naru recrossed her arms and shifted her feet. 

 

“Two? You said two,”

 

“Yes, team Kakashi will be receiving two new assignments-”

 

“It isn’t really team Kakashi without Kakashi-sensei, is it? Two it is then,” She snapped, stomping across the room and yanking the window open. Sakura started forward.

 

“Naru-” She said, but Naru had already hurled herself out of the window with a whoop. Sakura leant against the window sill. Jiraiya laughed. Tsunade leaned back and let out a little entertained noise. 

 

“She’s somethin’,” Tsunade laughed. Sakura hung her head and smiled at her hands on the sill, “Sakura-kun, find her when you can, and tell her that we already have two people assigned,”

 

“Yes, Tsunade-sama,” Sakura said, smiling out at Naru’s retreating back. 

 

“And stop it with that soppy expression,” Tsunade snapped, tossing a paperweight at Sakura that Sakura caught without looking.

 

“Yes, Tsunade-sama,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Cherry Bomb, The Runaways
> 
> Sakura: Back To Front, Eliza Doolittle


	29. Naru, Way To Many Reintroductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru meets back up with the rookie nine... minus team Kakashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo! Lots of groundbreakers today!

Naru wandered, her hands in her pockets, kicking stones and watching her feet.  _ Who can I ask?  _ She felt a buzzing sensation down her spine and paused.

 

“It’s been a long time, Naru-san,” A low voice came from around the corner. She spun around and saw a young man, so tall he towered over her by about a foot, with his hood pulled low and the collar of his shirt covering his face up to the bridge of his nose. He had dark shades over his eyes. She squinted at him.

 

“Hi… uh…” He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t think of his name. He stared at her, completely unreadable. “Do… do I know you?”

 

A buzzing became audible, and Naru would have thought it were just in her head, had it not been for the fact that it seemed to be getting louder as she stared blankly at him.

 

There was an awkward pause as Naru ran through as many memories as she could, trying to pinpoint the guy. He seemed familiar, she definitely knew him from  _ somewhere… _

 

A loud bark and a shout sounded as Naru was crushed beneath a mass of soft white fur. She held her arms out and spluttered, before struggling for footing and lifting the thing up in her arms. It was a dog, that barked happily and kissed her face. She laughed, and set the dog down, wiping her slimy cheek. 

 

“Long time no see, Naru-chan!” A voice not unlike the dog’s bark exclaimed. Naru looked up and met eyes with-

 

“Kiba-chan?” She laughed, taking in the young man’s appearance, unable to keep the shock from her face. He looked… cool. He’d donned a leather jacket, and abandoned his fur-lined hoodie. She leapt forward and hugged him. He was taller than her by a lot now. He grinned down at her. “Does this mean… Akamaru! You’re the size of a house!”

 

The dog barked, and Kiba laughed.

 

“I guess I didn’t notice him grow, cause he and I are always together. What’s cracking, shortstop?”

 

“Not much, just got back from a mission, about to go out for another one. Looking for new teammates… Hey! Are you guys up for coming out with Sakura and I?”

 

“Agh, wish I could, but me, Shino, and Hinata are all due to go out on one with Kurenai-sensei today,” He said, pointing at the guy that Naru had turned her back on. Naru turned, and held out her hand to him.

 

“So it’s Shino-san, huh? It’s nice to meet you,”

 

“We’ve known each other since we were four, Naru,” He growled, the buzzing growing even louder, “and you recognized Kiba straight away,”

 

Naru let her hand fall back to her side, trying desperately to remember  _ anything _ about Shino. Nothing came to mind.

 

“So… Is Hinata-chan around then? I haven’t seen-“

 

“I’m right here,” Another voice chimed in. Naru turned, and her jaw dropped.

 

Standing in the path, with his hands in his pockets, and a confident smile on his face, was a short young man with his blue-black hair spiked up to a peak, his leaf village headband tied around his neck, and the Byakugan. 

 

“...Hinata?” Naru asked, her mouth twitching up into an amazed grin. Hinata nodded excitedly, holding his arms wide.

 

“Yep,” He said, his voice lower than Naru’s, but barely, “It’s me,”

 

Naru rushed forward and hugged him. He was maybe two inches taller than her. He laughed and hugged her back, swaying a little side to side. Naru stepped back again, taking him in. He had retained his taste in clothing. A purple hoodie, his fishnet shirt exposed just a little, and nothing too out of the ordinary, but he looked…  _ happy. _ She grinned again.

 

“Holy shit. Holy shit! You look incredible! You  _ are  _ incredible! How’d you- your dad- you… Congratulations!”

 

Hinata just shook his head. “It sounds weird, I know, but… you gave me the idea. You know, cause you just… exist outside of… all that. And I knew no matter what you’d always be on my side, my friend. One day, not long after you’d left, I was in the hospital after a mission, and Shizune-san and I were talking, and I just… I blurted out that I didn’t feel right. So she helped me. And now… now I do,” He shrugged. “My dad learned to live with it. Well, kinda... but I’m done  _ caring  _ what he thinks. He can’t take this from me,” He held his hand to his chest. “I’m finally  _ myself _ , and comfortable in my own skin,” Hinata looked up at his teammates, and Naru did too. Kiba had his arms crossed, leaning up against Akamaru, and was looking prouder than a parent, and Shino… Had his entire face covered. Naru grinned, and turned back to Hinata.

 

“You still go by Hinata, right?”

 

“Yeah, I do,” He said, “I liked my name, just not… what they told me I was,”

 

“He, exclusively, right?” Naru clarified. Hinata nodded.

 

“He, exclusively,”

 

“You recognized Hinata right away, too, Naru-san, and he looks completely different,” Shino grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away. Hinata and Kiba both wilted a little.

 

“Oh no,” Kiba muttered.

 

“Oh dear,” Hinata whispered, “did you… did you not remember him?” He whispered to Naru. Naru shot him a guilty look. 

 

“I just… I can’t remember a Shino-san,” She said. Hinata sighed, and stepped forward, patting Shino’s back gently. 

 

“Shino, people aren’t going to recognize you straight away because you keep your face covered all the time. Naru-chan still  _ likes  _ you,”

 

Shino mumbled something unintelligible over the buzzing coming from his chest. Team Kurenai collectively sighed, hanging their heads. Naru gasped, and reached into her vambrace, pulling out her knife and then fishing out the slightly crumpled note. She offered it to Kiba. 

 

“From Kankuro,” She said, “He asked me to pass it on,”

 

Kiba smiled, and took it. “Thanks, the idiot can’t just send a damn bird,” He broke the seal and unfolded it. 

 

He blinked down at it, then turned bright red. Naru raised her eyebrows. “What’s it say?” She asked, a smile playing her lips. Kiba looked up and swallowed.

 

“Nothing!” He said, moving to tuck the note out of sight. Naru caught his arm and pulled it forward, locking his elbow and trying to peek over at the note. He squeaked and struggled, his face getting even redder. Naru noticed how uncomfortable he was getting and let go, but could guess the kinds of things Kankuro had written from the look on Kiba’s face.

 

“Oh gods, Kiba-chan, I had that in my vambrace for three days! Tell him that’s gross!”

 

“Oh my gods, I’m going to die. This is going to kill me,” Kiba growled, tucking the note into his pocket, “I’m going to kill him,”

 

“I’m leaving. Congrats again, Hinata-chan,” She said, walking backward away from team Kurenai, “and uh, congrats, Kiba-chan. Nice meeting you… again… Shino-san,” She waved and then turned, running away and further into town. She smiled to herself, thinking about what Hinata had said.  _ He knew he’d have me. That I’d have his back. _

 

She bumped into something solid, and fell back onto the ground. “Oh, gods, sorry!” She said, struggling up and dusting herself off, “I wasn’t looking-”

 

“Where you were going,” Shikamaru drawled. She looked up at him, shocked. “I know. We have to stop meeting like this,” He said, his mouth twitching as he almost smiled. Naru frowned, her hand flying to her collarbone, checking that  _ it _ was tucked out of sight.

 

“Yeah, we do. Hey- actually, first of all, Temari-chan says hi,” She said. His eyes seemed to get a little darker at the mention of his girlfriend. Naru scratched the back of her neck. “Second… Do you wanna go on a mission with Sakura and I?”

 

“Ah,” Shikamaru smoothed his hand over his ponytail, looking genuinely regretful, “I really wish I could say yes, but, with the Chunin exams so close…”

 

“Don’t worry, Shikamaru-san,” Naru said, shooting him a crooked smile, “you don’t have to explain,”

 

“I… can you let me anyway?” He asked, grabbing her wrist before she could walk away. She frowned. Naru paused, and looked up at him.

 

“It’s fine, Shikamaru-san, you don’t-”

 

“And will you quit it with the -san?  _ Sunshine _ , please…”

 

“Oh hey Naru-chan!” Came yet  _ another _ voice from behind Naru. She turned, and grinned. “Shikamaru, you forgot the lunch Mom packed you,” Choji said, smiling as he passed the lunchbox over to his best friend. Shikamaru sighed and took it. 

 

“Hey Choji-chan! Wanna go on a mission with me and Sakura?”

 

“Sure! That sounds awesome!”

 

“But you had to do that training thing with your dad,” Shikamaru said, furrowing his brow. 

 

“Ah, my dad will understand if I put it off for another week or so. Anything for a friend,” He said, nudging Naru with his elbow. Naru beamed at him. 

 

“Wow, really? Choji you’re the best!” She wrapped her arms around his waist and picked him up, squeezing him tight. He laughed, patting her shoulders. 

 

“Whoa! No need to show off!” He joked as she set him back down. She did a little hop and waved her hands awkwardly in front of her. 

 

“Oh I’m so glad! One down, one to go…” She felt the back of her neck prickled, “Duck!” She spat, pushing Shikamaru and Choji to the ground and getting slammed flat by something massive, heavy and… two dimensional. She grunted as she was pushed along the ground, pavement crumbling under her. She swore at the top of her lungs and kicked out at the thing. It burst, raining ink down over her. She scowled, sitting up and glaring around for the attacker. 

 

“There! On the roof!” Choji called. Shikamaru kneeled, looking over at Naru before looking up at the man crouched there. 

 

“Got him,” Shikamaru said. He did a few quick hand signs, and suddenly dark, sharp strands shot out from his shadow. 

 

Naru frowned, and got to her feet. The man dipped a brush into an ink pot, then scrawled something on a scroll. He made a hand sign as well, and more paper beasts sprang forward. 

 

Naru started running as Shikamaru’s shadow stitching pierced through the creatures. Ink showered down over her again, and she was drenched in it by the time she launched herself off the nearest wall and up to the rooftop. She slammed her fist down where he had been. The tiles shattered, and she used it as a foothold to launch herself forward and grip the stranger by the front of his shirt. She snarled in his face, which was entirely expressionless. She slammed him into the rooftop and pinned him. His leg shot up and he caught hers, slamming her leg oddly against the hard surface of the roof. She winced.

 

“Who are you?” She growled, inching her face closer to his. “And why are you attacking us?”

 

“You, I’m attacking  _ you _ ,” He said, his voice soft, “Hm,” His face twisted into a fake smile. “The way you fight… are you sure you don’t have a dick?”

 

“Excuse me?” She barked, moving to punch him. Before she could, he disappeared in a flurry of yet more ink. She was left kneeling on the roof, chest heaving, and drenched in black liquid. She frowned down at herself.

 

“Fuck,” She hissed, rocking back to sit on her ankles. Choji landed on the roof behind her, and held out his hand to help her up. She took it. 

 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, helping her to her feet.

 

“These were my only good pair of trousers,”

 

“Well that’s alright,” Choji laughed, “You can just dye ‘em black,”

 

“I like orange!” She snapped, hopping down off the roof with Choji. They walked back up to Shikamaru, Naru limping on what was likely a twisted ankle. 

 

“You’re hurt,” He said, starting forward. Naru shook her head.

 

“Ain’t nothin’ but a- Ino?”

 

They all turned to the tall girl striding toward them. 

 

“Well, well. good to see where I stand with you. Just came back from saying goodbye to Hinata. He said that you saw his whole team, and I suppose mine. Avoiding me, then?” Ino said coldly. Everyone tensed up. Naru wiped the ink as well as she could from her face and frowned at Ino.

 

“It wasn’t that I was avoiding you,” She said, feeling her patience break as she felt more ink begin to threaten her eyes. “I just forgot about you, if we’re being honest,”

 

“Ah, aha, oh, I just remembered I need to go wash my hair,” Choji said, “Bye guys!” 

 

“Uh, I have to go help Choji wash his hair,” Shikamaru muttered, following his best friend as he ran away. Ino was glaring daggers at Naru. 

 

She’d stayed slight, but had donned a sleeveless chainmail dress that ended at her knees; it had slits up to her hips to allow for her to move better that exposed the plate armour she was wearing on her legs. There were two thick, coiled black chains hooked to a leather belt that was cinched tight across her waist. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, stepping forward again, getting up in Naru’s face.

 

“Didn’t think of me, huh?” She growled, frowning down at Naru. Naru glared up at her. 

 

“Not once,” She said. “More important things to do than run around checking up on academy bullies,”

 

Ino’s face twisted, and suddenly Naru was pressed up against the nearest wall, her freshly healed back bruising again under the crushing pressure.

 

“Listen. I don’t need this from you. You come back and everyone in this village loses their fucking minds. Sakura hasn’t spoken to me in almost two weeks because she’s running around after you- and you can’t even be polite for ten damn minutes and say  _ hi?” _ Ino stepped closer, dropping the pressure on Naru and pressing her palms flat against the wall on either side of her. Naru glared up at her.

 

“How’s any of that my fault Ino? You haven’t come and said hi to me either,”

 

They stared at each other for a moment, years of animosity and arguing coming to the surface between them, the air crackling with the pressure of it. Ino’s eyes flicked over Naru’s face.

 

“What’s she see in you?” She asked, but with the air of someone thinking aloud. Like she didn’t care about the answer. Naru grit her teeth and glared up at Ino.

 

“Maybe just a friend,” Naru said, “Maybe something you can’t give her,” She said. Her palms began to sweat. Naru reached up and grasped Ino’s wrists. Ino ducked down, and drew closer, slowly. 

 

“Can I kiss you?”

 

“What?” Naru squeaked. Ino bit her bottom lip.

 

“Let me kiss you. Please,” Ino said, shifting forward again, bringing herself inches from Naru. Naru swallowed.

 

“O-okay,” She said. Ino dipped down and pressed her lips to Naru’s quickly, and softly, one of her hands sliding along the wall and coming to cup Naru’s cheek. Naru’s eyes slid closed, but half a second later, Ino had drawn away. 

 

They stood there, quietly, for maybe an hour. Maybe a few seconds. But then Naru opened her eyes again. She looked up at Ino, confused. The other girl just stepped back again and shook her head.

 

“You smell like a printing press,” She muttered, before turning and striding away. Naru fell back against the wall, and dug her shaking hand into her collar. She pulled out the two chords that sat along her neck, side by side. One, the first Hokage’s necklace. The second was the bracelet that Shikamaru had made her three years before. She unhooked it, and held it out in front of her. She looked at it for a solid minute, trying to sort through the tangle of emotions in her chest. 

 

“Why’s everything gotta be so damned complicated?” She asked, as thought the necklace would answer.

 

“Oh I don’t know,” Sakura called, dropping down from the rooftop and smiling, “couldn’t have anything to do with you, could it?”

 

Naru smiled back at her, tucking the necklace into her shirt again. “Maybe it does,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Piazza, New York Catcher, Belle & Sebastian
> 
> Shino: Shadow Stabbing, Cake
> 
> Kiba: Stickshifts and Safteybelts, Cake
> 
> Hinata: We're Going To Be Friends, The White Stripes
> 
> Shikamaru: Here Comes The Anxiety, The Wombats
> 
> Choji: Let's Dance To Joy Division, The Wombats
> 
> Sai: Blood, Sex, Violence & Murder, Beware Of Darkness
> 
> Ino: Sororicide, Raffaella
> 
> Sakura: Night Go Slow, Catey Shaw


	30. Sakura, Sleeping Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura meets her new team members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ghey

Sakura sighed. “You didn’t get your keys back yet?” She asked, crossing her arms as Naru climbed out of the pond, shaking the water from her hair and pulling her trousers back on, now a weird shade of dirty, dark orange. She’d gotten as much ink out as she could, but they were still… strange looking. Sakura sighed.

 

“Do you want to borrow some of my trousers?” She offered. Naru shot her that crooked ‘ _ my problems aren’t your problems _ ’ smile and shook her head as she pulled her fishnet shirt and tank top back on.

 

“Ah, no, it’s okay. They’re still wearable, even if they don’t look the same anymore,”

 

“There’s a reason most shinobi wear dark clothes or a uniform, I guess,” Sakura said, reaching out and plucking at Naru’s waistband. Naru shrugged using her hands to ruffle her hair, spraying water in every direction. Sakura spluttered and laughed, then handed Naru back her headband. Naru fumbled with it for a moment, until Sakura sighed and stepped forward. “Come here,”

 

“I can do it, Sakura,” She grumbled, but she let her tie the headband and push her hair back with it. Naru pouted a little, and Sakura smiled at her.

 

“I know, but I like helping you,” She said. “Where did you sleep last night?”

 

“The park. It’s still warm and honestly I sleep better outside than in nowadays. Too used to being on solid ground. I toss and turn in a bed,”

 

**_The only solution is napping and cuddles. Get on it, Sakura._ **

 

_ Stop it right now. We have to go on a mission. _

 

“You need to get your keys back from Shikamaru-san,” Sakura said, mildly aware that Naru was pulling her ‘Iruka’s lecturing me’ face, with her eyelids sliding down halfway and her top lip tucked between her teeth. Sakura tried hard not to laugh. “And you can sleep at my house until you do,” 

 

“Oh Sakura, no, your parents wouldn’t want me in the house,” She said, with a cold awareness in her eyes. Her father’s voice from years past seemed to echo through the breeze in the leaves. 

 

_ “You stay away from that Naruto kid, they’re nothing but trouble. I forbid you to talk to them, do you hear me?” _

 

“ _ They can’t put that Uzumaki kid with other students! Letting  _ that  _ get to Genin level was bad enough, now you’re telling me it’s on a team with our daughter?” _

 

**_I love dad but he’s a dick._ **

 

_ I know. _

 

“They’ll deal with it. You can’t keep sleeping outside,” Sakura said, “And if they try anything, you can just leave and climb in through the window,” 

 

“That doesn’t  _ really _ seem like the right thing to do, Sakura,”

 

“Neither does leaving you to sleep outside,”

 

“Doesn’t matter either way,” Naru said, “You and I have to go meet our new teammates. Neither of whom are going to be Choji-chan,  _ apparently _ ,”

 

Sakura crossed her arms and tried her best not to smile. Naru pulled her pack on.

 

“Do we really not know either of them?”

 

“No, we don’t,”

 

“Like we have some kinda shortage of good ninja we know. Damn the Sage for this. I don’t want new teammates,” 

 

“It’s not the teammate I’m worried about,” Sakura said, “It’s this new captain,” 

 

“Well no green Captain is going to get me to do a single thing that I don’t wanna do,” Naru snapped. Sakura laughed.

 

“You’re a really bad soldier,” She laughed. Naru smiled at her. 

 

“I’m a damn good Ninja though.” Naru said, grinning and nudging Sakura, “I’ve forgotten where we’re gonna meet these two,”

 

“Out by the gates,” She said, “Don’t worry, you and I will always be a team, Naru,”

 

“Cheesy,” Naru laughed, touching her stomach, “You and me, right?”

 

Sakura caught her hand, and squeezed it. “You and Me. We’re always going to have one another’s backs,” 

 

Naru squeezed her hand back, and squared her shoulders. “Okay then. Well. Let’s get this poppin’,”

 

They held hands right up until they turned the corner and laid eyes on the gates. But then Naru dropped her hand, and started forward.

 

“You!” She snarled. A boy was standing there, his shirt cut short to expose his abdomen, and a blank look on his face- the one Sasuke used to wear all the time- except when he looked at Naru, or got in a fight. Like a mask. “You ruined my last pair of trousers!” Naru paused. “And you attacked my friends!” She started toward him, but Sakura quickly picked Naru up and held her off the ground.

 

“They were ruined the moment you chose the fabric,” he said, his voice soft and calm, his face expressionless, “And I was attacking you. I just wanted to see what you’re capable of,”

 

Naru snarled at him. “What kind of excuse is that?”

 

“Not an excuse, a reason,”

 

“Naru, calm down! You aren’t helping!” Sakura squeezed Naru tighter as she kicked out toward the pale boy in front of them. He watched with a mild interest. “We have to at least try to get along with him! I think… I think he’s our new teammate,”

 

“Like hell he is, I’d rather run naked through the village than work with this jerk!” She shouted, struggling against Sakura’s grip.

 

“I’d rather be naked than wear those trousers,” He said. Sakura almost laughed. Instead she turned so that Naru was facing away from the boy and looked over her shoulder at him.

 

“If you’d like to stop your face from getting rearranged, I’d personally recommend being quiet,”

 

“For the rest of your life, scrawny,” Naru snapped. Sakura set her friends feet on the ground and leaned forward, resting her chin on Naru’s shoulder.

 

“Naru, come on, keep a level head. We’re in this to get Sasuke back. It doesn’t matter what this idiot thinks of your trousers,” She slowly loosened her grip around the other girl’s waist. Naru rested her hands over Sakura’s and took a deep breath.

 

“Okay, it’s fine, I’ve got it, it’s okay,” Naru said, turning back around and looking Sakura in the eye.

 

“Good to know your ugly friend can keep you under control,” The boy said. Naru bolted toward him faster than blinking, and had wrapped her hands around his throat before Sakura knew what was happening. 

 

“No! Naru!” 

 

But before Sakura could reach her to pull him off, large coils of wood were around Naru’s arms, holding them wide, away from the boy. 

 

“Hokage-sama wasn’t kidding about you,” A man said, stepping down off the roof and landing in the midst of the fighting teenagers. Sakura looked over him quickly. Standard shinobi uniform, but wearing a face plate. His eyes were wide, and kind. “A real spitfire,” He laughed. “You may have earned that, Sai-san,”

 

Sai, the boy, rubbed his throat, and got to his feet. He stepped closer, almost too close, and peered straight into Naru’s face, still held spread eagle by the Captain’s jutsu. He looked over her for a moment, and she glowered at him.

 

“Keep her name out of your mouth, or I’ll stick my foot so far up your ass I’ll be trimming my toenails with your teeth, you hear me?”

 

“Ah, yes,” Sai said, tilting his head and twisting his face up into a fake smile, “ _ very _ threatening,” 

 

Naru spat at the boy’s feet. The captain cleared his throat.

 

“So, uh… I’m Yamato. I know all your names, but feel like I should go over them anyway. Sakura-san,” He said, nodding to her. She nodded back and smiled.

 

“Hello, Captain,” She said.

 

“Sai-san, I’d… I’d step back, if I were you,” He said, edging toward where Naru was bound still, “I’m going to let you go, Naruto-san, but no more attempted murder today,”

 

“No promises,” Naru snarled, “especially if ya keep calling me that. My name’s Naru,” She twisted as well as she could to have a look at Captain Yamato. He smiled a little at her, and Sakura watched as her biceps relaxed. The fight went out of her, and the wood around her retracted. She frowned, rubbing her wrists and turning her back on Sai. She met Sakura’s eye, and shrugged. 

 

**_Is it just me or-_ **

 

_ Stop right there. _

 

**_She was defending your honour. You should pay her back-_ **

 

_ Do you ever listen? _

 

**_You know I don’t have my own ears, right?_ **

 

_ Don’t have your own mouth either, but you seem to manage alright. _

 

“Okay, now that that’s all settled, let’s head out,” Yamato clapped his hands and rubbed them together, flashing them all a reassuring smile. Sai flashed a fake one back, and Sakura made her best attempt.

 

When she saw that, Naru did too.

 

“Okay. Let’s do this,” She said, fixing the straps of her bag and rolling her neck. She turned on her heels and walked out toward the gate. She glanced over her shoulder and cocked an eyebrow at the three of them. “What’re you all waiting for? The grass to grow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura: Come On Petunia, The Blow
> 
> Naru: My Baby Loves Me, Cyberbully Mom Club
> 
> Sai: Straightjacket, Quinn XCII
> 
> Yamato: Just say 'what have I got myself into' outloud


	31. Naru, The Last Straw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru snaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw mild transphobic language and implications. Just a heads up, no worse than what they say in canon but heads up

Naru and the rest of team Kakashi has arrived at the hot springs that they were going to break their journey at. Her ego still smarting a little after being restrained by her new captain right out of the gate. She also was upset that she hadn’t gotten to finish the job on mr. destroyer-of-trousers, but she guessed it might have been for the best. He was likely pretty blind, to think that Sakura was anything short of beautiful. She almost felt bad for him. Until he began speaking again.

 

“This mission is a retrieval mission for a B-rank missing nin, correct?” He offered to Yamato. Yamato looked over at him.

 

“Yes, Sasuke Uchiha,”

 

“What extent of damage can we deal him?”

 

“None! We’re gonna talk to him!” Naru snapped, glowering at him. Sakura moved closer, trying to soothe her.

 

Sai turned his strange, blank gaze on her. “Your first ever mission as a leader was to retrieve this same missing nin, I believe. You failed, didn’t you?”

 

Naru had balled up her fists at that. Sakura slid her hand down her arm comfortingly. “Ignore him,” The shorter girl said, smiling reassuringly at her. Naru nodded.

 

“Yeah, I’m tryin’,” She muttered. But it seemed Sai wouldn’t have that either. He stepped closer to Naru.

 

“You really think you can reason with a traitor? Are you actually that dim?”

 

Something in Naru snapped. She stopped still and stared at Sai. “Look here you stupid bastard,” She snarled, feeling her spine almost curve, she was so angry, she wanted to curl inward and pounce on him, “You might think you can waltz in here and act like an ass and try to _replace_ him, but you’ll never be what he was, and you’ll never come close to understanding what he is now. You aren’t like him, you’re nothing close. I don’t know what you think you’re playing at, having a go at me, but I guarantee it’s the wrong motherfucking move. Do not try me, _Sai,_ ”

 

He looked at her, one eyebrow twitched, and then he sucked in a little breath, ready to start in again, but Sakura stepped neatly between them.

 

“Now, Sai-san, I’m going to apologise for Naru. I’ve been her friend for a long time and she’s a little short tempered, but I honestly believe that everyone should try to get to know her,” Sakura glanced at Naru and smiled. Naru relaxed a little. “I really don’t want you two to fight. I want you to be able to forgive one another. Now could you please apologise to one another, and put this to rest?”

 

Naru grit her teeth, but nodded. “Sorry,”

 

Sai tilted his head, considering them both. Sakura smiled at him. Naru tensed up. She knew that smile. Her hand twitched forward, but Ibara has already clocked Sai straight in the face with enough force to knock over a cart horse. Sai skidded along the dirt road, and stared up at Ibara in shock, cupping his cheek.

 

Naru stepped forward, and caught Ibara’s wrist. “I don’t care if you forgive me, though, bitch boy,” She growled. Naru pulled Ibara away, and leaned in, leaving the captain to help Sai to his feet. “Hey there, Ibara. The Sasuke stuff wake you up?”

 

“No,” Ibara said, “He’s been being rude to you this whole time. I’m not having it. He can say what he likes about our body but you? Off limits,”

 

Naru’s heart swelled up a little in her chest. “You can’t just punch people, ‘Bara,”

 

“You do it!”

 

“I’m not supposed to be a big fancy medical ninja. I’m just some cannon fodder,”

 

Ibara’s mouth twitched, like she was about to say something, but the way her eyes unfocused a little let Naru knew Sakura was probably either chewing her ear off or making a bid for the body. Yamato cleared his throat.

 

“We’re almost to the Onsen,” He said, sounding a little tired, “We’re staying there tonight before we reach the bridge, but this presents an interesting set of options for the three of you,” He stepped forward, stopping all of them in their paths.

 

Naru frowned at him. “What choices,”

 

Yamato moves like he was flopping down into a bench, and under his feet, a massive cage with a solid, flat top emerged from the ground. When it stilled, he patted it.

 

“You can either try to get along, and come stay the night at the hot springs, or…” He pointed down at the cage, “you could spend the night in here bonding,”

 

All three teenagers looked at one another.

 

The hot springs were beautiful. The staff friendly. Upon arrival, they were given rooms, and Yamato told the girls when they were done they could go to his room and they’d have food there.

 

Naru changed quickly, pulling on the robe and rolling up the sleeves. When Sakura saw her doing it, she laughed.

 

“Gotta keep those muscles in view, huh?” She teased, ruffling her hair. Naru shot her a crooked smile.

 

“Can’t letcha forget why you keep me around,” She said, flexing and walking toward the door. Sakura tied her robe shut and followed. When they slid back the door to Yamato’s room, they were confronted by a table absolutely laden with food. Naru grinned ear to ear.

 

“Hot damn,” she laughed, “Tsunade-baa-chan’s really shelling for this mission,”

 

Yamato smiled and waved them over to sit across from he and Sai. “Oh no, this isn’t on the leaf. I’m buying,”

 

Naru and Sakura both gaped at him. “Why?”

 

“I just wanted to get us off to a good start as a team, and get to know you guys,”

 

“Damn, can you stay when Kakashi-sensei gets back?” Naru asked eagerly, grinning at him. He laughed.

 

“I think I might be needed for other missions, but no one can predict the future,”

 

Naru looked eagerly over the table.

 

“Let’s eat!” Sakura said, “thank you, captain,”

 

“Yeah, thanks, Cap!” Naru said through a mouthful of lobster. It was rubbery and strange- she’d never had it before. She swallowed and stuffed more food into her mouth. Sakura giggled at her as she used her chopsticks to try to fend off Sai’s as they both tried to get at the rice.

 

After they had all eaten, Yamato sat back and eyed them all. “I think in a half an hour or so we should all go to the hot springs,”

 

Sai twitched oddly, and looked over at him. “Shouldn’t we discuss the mission?”

 

“Not today. Today is team bonding day,” Yamato said with a smile. Sai kept his face blank.

 

“Yeah, you fuckin’ square,” Naru laughed, tossing a chopstick at him and getting to her feet, “Team bonding,”

 

“I thought we were supposed to be getting along,” Sai said coldly. Naru rolled her eyes.

 

“Someone explain to robot-boy what a joke is,” She said, stretching, “c’mon Sakura, I think I forgot my headband in the room and I hate leaving it places,”

 

“Okay, one sec, I wanna finish my tea, just hold up,” The other girl said, taking a long sip from her cup and eyeing Sai. Sai was just watching Naru- she paused for a second, eyeing him back. Something was off.

 

Then she realised. It was because he was wearing a very subtle, curious expression. His eyes were fixed on her, his mouth drawn a little thinner. His eyebrows furrowed, just a little, like he was trying to figure something out.

 

She stuck her tongue out at him. Sakura got to her feet and thanked Yamato again. They filed out, and Naru ducked into their room to grab her headband and quickly brush her teeth. When she emerged, Sakura lead them down to the hot springs, where they met with Yamato and Sai. They made small talk for a little while, and then came to the entrance to the springs. Naru froze, staring at the doors.

 

“Uh… Guys?”

 

Everyone paused and looked at her. She swallowed and ran her fingers through her hair, eventually letting her fingers find the scar on the back of her neck. Sakura furrowed her brow.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“This is a segregated hot spring,”

 

Yamato and Sakura both looked confused. “Yeah,” Sakura said “so?”

 

Naru shifted, feeling her skin prickle. “I… Well… you all like… know…” She looked around her, wishing someone else could explain, “I’m not exactly, like, welcome in the segregated kind, right?”

 

Yamato tilted his head. “Why not?” He said. Naru took a deep, steadying breath.

 

“Not everywhere is like Konoha,” She said, “I’ve been to enough of these to know people don’t always like a guessing game,”

 

Sakura tensed up. Yamato looked like he still didn’t understand. Sai cocked an eyebrow.

 

“You’re nervous someone’s gonna see your dick, then?”

 

Naru bristled. “Okay. Listen here you little shit,” She snapped, holding her arm out to stop Ibara from knocking his block off, “Do you have any interest in fucking me?”

 

Sakura and Yamato started suddenly spluttering. Sai tilted his head. “Not at all,” He said. Naru wasn’t sure if she was smiling, or just baring her teeth, but either way, she edged a little closer.

 

“Good. Because I don’t want to fuck you. And thus, my genitals and their appearance are absolutely _none of your goddamn business,_ and none of anyone else’s either, to be honest. Now you can go and choke on any dick in the goddamn neighbourhood, a whole bag of them, but one dick, whether or not it exists, will never, _ever_ , be any of your business, and that’s mine. Now,” She said, stepping forward and cracking her knuckles, “If you have any other disgusting comments to make, get them out of the way now so that I have an excuse to kick your ass,”

 

“I think I’m okay,” He said, looking down at her. Naru turned back to the hot springs, then shook her head.

 

“Fuck it,” She growled, before snapping her hands together and performing a henge. There she stood, decidedly feminine. All delicate features and curves. She straightened out her arms and then brought them back into her sides. It felt unusually wrong. She looked at the other door and frowned again, before swapping to her most masculine form. Broader shoulders than they had naturally, leaner, smaller muscle, and taller by a couple inches. He stomped over to that side and kicked the door in, dropping the towel and glaring over his shoulder at Sai. “How’s that for a dick?” He spat, before slipping into the water and crossing his arms, leaving the doorway wide open, as the spring was empty. Yamato sighed.

 

“Okay, see you later, Sakura,” He said, grabbing the back of Sai’s neck and gently steering him into the springs with Naruto. He picked the door up and pleading it back where it had been before. The other two slipped into the water. Naruto kept his arms crossed and glowered at the sky. Yamato cleared his throat. “You both seem to have major issues with professionalism,”

 

Naruto scowled at him. He didn’t react. Sai looked emotionless, as usual. _Smug bastard._

 

“I see no issues with my own conduct,” Sai said cooly. Naruto finally turned his gaze on him.

 

“Oh you don’t?”

 

“Sai-san, It’s really inappropriate to make references to your teammates personal… anything. And Naru-san, despite how deserved it may be, you cannot threaten your teammates,”

 

“First time I’ve heard that rule,” He grumbled. The hot spring was starting to relax him, and he leaned back against the side, his frown getting a little more shallow. Yamato smiled at him.

 

“I’d really like us all to get along. It’s important we work well as a team, because otherwise we could die. Every mission is life or death for a Shinobi,”

 

“Ninja in general,” Naruto said. Yamato nodded.

 

“Ninja in general,” he agreed. Naruto sighed, and turned, climbing out of the hot spring. He tied the towel around his waist and looked over at Yamato.

 

“Thanks, Cap,” He glanced at Sai, who was watching him with another, different expression on his face. Naruto stuck his tongue out again and left the hot spring. He was pulling on his robe (now a little too small) when he heard a door slide open and slam closed again. He turned at the quick patter of damp, bare feet, just in time to catch Sakura as she hurtled to hug him. He felt his face burn. She was still only wearing a towel.

 

“Sorry Naru I didn’t even think. I just assumed and then! I’m so sorry!”

 

“Don’t worry. It’s okay. I know I haven’t really talked to you about it… ever. There’s no way for people to know and it’s kinda nice that people just think of me as like… normal? I guess? I mean in Konoha it’s never a problem. But… I’ve been on the road a long time,”

 

Sakura looked up at him with watery eyes. “I’m sorry, Naru,”

 

“Really, don’t mention it,” He patted her shoulders and stepped back, pulling her robe off a shelf and wrapping it around her shoulders. She smiled up at him.

 

“You’re my best friend,”

 

“And you’re mine,” He said, smiling and kissing her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Liability, Lorde
> 
> Sakura: Black Hole, be your own PET
> 
> Sai: Turn, The Wombats


	32. Sakura, The Angel With a Foul Mouth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura wakes up and then does some things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks, man.
> 
> hey uh you guys should hit up my socials. 
> 
> I just wanted to remind you of my upcoming hiatus for nanowrimo. this is gonna be paused for november.
> 
> That doesn’t mean i’m disappearing! i’ll still be present on my tumblr and my twitter, so if you want to talk, make a request for a (very short) biat-style chapter or anything like that then i’ll still be available there.

The next morning, Naru was in her usual form again. She’d switched to a really feminine one once they’d settled in for the night, and had kept it even as she’d slept, across the room from Sakura. Sakura hadn’t really slept well, not with Ibara loudly plotting Sai’s murder and the knowledge that Naru was a few feet away basically just chilling in her sexy-jutsu form. Not that that affected Sakura, of course. Sakura wasn’t affected by it at all. 

 

“You look tired. Are you nervous about seeing Sasuke again?”

 

Sakura looked up at Naru, standing by the window, pulling her mesh shirt over her head. The sunlight was streaming in behind her, catching her fuzzy, unkempt hair in a way that almost made it seem like a halo. Naru turned, and picked her tank top up, turning it right side out and smiling at Sakura. She watched as Naru’s muscles jumped and stretched as she pulled it over her head, and adjusted the collar. Sakura tilted her head. “Yeah… That’s… I didn’t sleep well,”

 

“Well let’s get a little food in you, might make you feel a bit better,” She said, tying her headband around her neck, fumbling with the knot for a moment. Sakura sighed, and got to her feet. 

 

“Let me do that,” She strode over, and took the headband from her hands, tying it and pushing her hair back, out of her eyes. Naru fidgeted a little and flashed her a crooked smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

 

“What’s that look about?” She asked, adjusting Naru’s collar. Naru’s hand flew to her pierced ear, and she began turning the hoops there, one by one. When she got to the healed-up scar, halfway up, she bit her lip and spoke.

 

“Ino-san mentioned something about you ignoring her. You… have you guys made up over the last few years?” Naru turned her earrings again, “It seemed like she missed you,”

 

Sakura tried to quash the guilt in her chest. In the wake of Naru’s return and the excitement of the last few missions she’d been a part of, she hadn’t seen Ino at all. “Ah,” She said, stepping back, “Yeah. For a little while she tried her hand at a medical internship too, a few months after you left. She only lasted about a year and then realised she wanted to specialise in interrogation. But we made up while she was in medical training and hang out sometimes. She shouldn’t miss me though, she knows I’ve been away on missions,”

 

Naru fidgeted awkwardly and looked around, her eyes flicking to the window. She froze, and her eyes narrowed. Sakura followed her gaze, and saw that Sai was sitting beside the river, calmly doing… something. Naru scowled.

 

“Leave him be, Naru,” Sakura said soothingly. But Naru just opened the window and grabbed her bag, jumping out of it and striding quickly across the lawn. Sakura sword and scrambled to change out of her pyjamas. She leapt out of the window after Naru, running up just in time to see Naru peering over Sai’s shoulder. 

 

“You know, I’ve never really been into abstracts,” Naru was saying, rubbing the back of her head, “What’s the point of them?”

 

“They say that the purpose of an abstract is to evoke a specific emotion in its viewer,” Sai rattled off mechanically, “Although I typically paint them when I’m struck by certain colours in the environment around me,”

 

Sakura paused, and stood still. Naru kneeled beside Sai, her eyes still fixed on whatever it was he was working on. “Why don’t you do the emotion thing?” She asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

 

“Well,” Sai began slowly, as though he was measuring his words carefully, “I wouldn’t even begin to know where to start,”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don’t have any emotions,” He said calmly. He folded his sketchbook closed and put it in his bag. Naru squinted at him.

 

“None?”

 

“None.”

 

“Well that explains it,” She said. Both Sakura and Sai were overtaken by shock as Naru beamed up at him. “That’s why you’re such a dick,”

 

Sai turned to her, and his eyebrows pinched together, briefly, just for a second. “A dick?”

 

“Yeah, you’re a complete and utter dick. And I don’t like you at all,” She said, standing up and stepping toward him, looking straight into his face, “You’re inconsiderate, and rude, and not to mention completely annoying,”

 

“Naru!” Sakura said reproachfully, stepping forward.

 

**_Let her tell him. No point in lying._ **

 

_ It’s not like her to go off like this. _

 

“We are supposed to be getting along,” Sai said. He was staring at Naru like he’d never seen a human before. She was smiling at him sweetly, and she inched closer again.

 

“But it’s okay, those rules don’t count for you,” She said, “‘Cause that’s only to stop us from hurting each other’s feelings, but you don’t have feelings, so you won’t care at all when I say that you act like an idiot, and what’s left of that shirt makes you look like one too,” She reached out and flicked his nose with her broadest smile yet. “You’re a great artist, Sai-san, but you can’t lie to me. You have feelings, you just like to pretend you don’t,” She turned on her heel and bounced away, winking at Sakura as she went. Sai picked up his bag and put it on. He moved to walk by Sakura, but as he drew level with her, her hand shot out, and she stopped him. He looked at her, his face entirely blank again.

 

“Yes?” He said expectantly. Sakura looked up at him and met his eye.

 

“Listen. I’m just going to warn you. No one can spend much time with Naru without… well. Everyone likes her. I’m warning you about her, and I’m warning you about about me,”

 

“About you?”

 

“About me. I’m warning you that me hitting you yesterday? That was a love tap. And if you ever,  _ ever _ , come remotely close to giving her a problem about… well, giving her any problems at all, I’ll hit you like I mean it,” She stepped half and inch closer and narrowed her eyes. “I’ll kill you, and I’ll mean it,”

 

Sai tilted his head. “Is it because you love her?”

 

“Yes,” Sakura squared her shoulders, “She’s my best friend in the world, and I love her,” 

 

“And you’re saying that everyone does?”

 

Sakura paused. Her mind flicked to Sasuke, and how he’d abandoned them all.  _ Had he loved her? _

 

**_He didn’t love her enough to stay._ **

 

“Yes,”

 

Sai’s eyes flicked over Sakura’s face, and then fell to her arm. She withdrew it. He walked away.

 

**_I thought for a second there you were gonna let me loose. Talk about deja-vu._ **

 

_ I know. Weird, right? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura: Undo, Transviolet
> 
> Naru: Setting Fires, The Chainsmokers & XYLO
> 
> Also Ignorance, Paramore 
> 
> Sai: Awake O Sleeper, The Brothers Bright


	33. Naru, Caught Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sai ties Naru up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it, sai, i'm kinkshaming

Naru and Sai charged across the bridge. He scrawled something across his scroll and two birds sprang forward, Naru leapt up, using one as a stepping stool to launch herself into the air and she summoned her Ransengan, falling back to the ground and swinging them down toward Yamato’s head. He dodged easily, and shot a wooden stake toward Sai, that Naru had to use her Rasengan to break in order to protect him. She turned, the jutsu dissipating, and swung her fist at the captain. Yamato dodged it, and she short stepped forward, moving to attack again, when long, thick tendrils of ink shot out of nowhere and bound them together. She swore and they toppled over. She struggled against the bindings as best she could, but paused. Yamato wasn’t moving at all. She looked up. It was a wood clone that she’d been tied to. She swore again, kicking out.

 

“Come on! Sai-san, you fucking dick! Let me go-“

 

But Sai had already left in order to chase after Yamato, leaving her tied to his duplicate. She kicked it in frustration, and rolled onto her back, glaring up at the crude wooden face.

 

“What are you looking at?” She snapped at it. The wood clone didn’t reply. Because it was wood. Eventually, soft footsteps came to a halt beside her. Naru turned her head and saw Sakura’s sandals. 

 

“A little tied up?” Sakura laughed, and Naru just  _ knew _ she had her hands on her hips. She just  _ knew  _ it. 

 

“Just a little,” Naru wriggled uncomfortably, “Could ya give a guy a hand here?”

 

Sakura bent down and ripped the ink away, grunting as she did it. Naru threw the fake Yamato away and brushed herself off. She looked up at Sakura, who had a vaguely unhappy expression on her face.

 

“What?” Naru asked, getting to her feet. Sakura looked at her ink stained hands, then back up at Naru.

 

“Nothing,” She said, “It’s just… I actually had to kinda…  _ try _ to break those,”

 

Naru paused, remembering the ground shattering force she’d seen Sakura use. “Like… hard?”

 

“No not  _ hard _ , but I don’t know anything that I have to try  _ hard _ to break nowadays,”

 

“So what’re you saying?” Naru asked, narrowing her eyes. Sakura ran her tongue over her teeth slowly.

 

“I dunno,” She said, suddenly looking away from Naru’s eyes. Naru grit her teeth. 

 

**_IT MEANS HE INTENDED TO LEAVE YOU THERE UNTIL_ ** **HE** **_DECIDED TO LET YOU GO, KIT. KILL HIM._ **

 

_ No killing! No killing Konoha nin. I’ve told you this. _

 

Kurama grumbled something unintelligible. Naru frowned.

 

_ What was that? _

 

**_MANY KONOHA NIN SHOULD BE KILLED._ **

 

_ I’m not having this conversation right now. _

 

Naru got to her feet and helped Sakura upright, looking around. “Well,” She said, “So much for learning how to work as a team,”

 

“You were only slowing me down,” Sai said behind them. Yamato and he were both walking back toward them. Naru glared at him.

 

“Are you, like, allergic to being tolerable?” She snapped. Sai shrugged. 

 

“Are you allergic to being competent?” Sai tilted his head. “Although I’m surprised you managed to get out of those ropes,”

 

Naru felt irritation begin to gather in her chest. “Actually it was Sakura,”

 

“Ah, that’s less surprising,” He said. Naru bristled, but took a deep breath and turned her back on him. 

 

“I can’t wait to get Sasuke back,” She said quietly. Sai hummed.

 

“Your obsession with that traitor is concerning,” Sai said. Yamato shot him a warning look, but Naru bit down hard on her bottom lip and shut her eyes. Sasuke had made himself a traitor. He’d refused her help. He’d turned his back on them all.

 

He’d killed her. 

 

She turned back to face Sai, and met his gaze. “You know, I’m not a real smart person. You can ask pretty much anyone and they’ll tell you. But you? You’re on a whole other level,” Sakura caught her wrist, but Naru pulled it away. She frowned at him. “I’m going to get Sasuke back. I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. About me. He’s my best friend, my first friend, and I’ll die before I give up. And I know you’ve read my file, so I know that you know exactly what that means,”

 

Sai’s face twitched, and Naru walked out away from them all, in the direction of Tenchi bridge. She heard Yamato sigh. 

 

“You know, on paper, this team is well balanced,”

 

“Paper don’t mean shit if the king of dicks over here can’t keep his mouth closed,” Naru growled, “On paper I’m a whole lotta things that I’m obviously not,”

 

“I think your file was fairly accurate,” Sai said. Naru snorted.

 

“I think you’re still talking and you definitely shouldn’t be,”

 

After that they continued on in silence for a little while, and Naru heard Sai say something quietly to Sakura. Sakura responded, her voice cold, but even. More than Naru could have managed. 

 

She was winding up every little bit of frustration and anger into a little neat ball in her chest again. It was hot and acidic and it burned, but she kept it. She saved it. She waited.

 

Naru frowned as the sun began to slowly slip below the horizon. She chewed the inside of her cheek and then turned to Yamato, forcing herself to smile at him and tilting her head. “No hot springs out in the woods. Looks like we’ll have to camp,”

 

“You’re right,” He said. She slowed a little so she could walk next to him.

 

“Should we pick a spot and pitch the tent?”

 

“Let’s keep going a little longer. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you some questions,”

 

“‘Kay, shoot,”

 

“Do you have contact with the Nine tails?”

 

**_LIE, KIT OF MINE. LIE._ **

 

“Why?”

 

“I spoke to Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-san,” He said, “And Jiraiya-san said that you sometimes… hold conversations with yourself,”

 

“Hm, couldn’t be because when I talk to people other than Sakura they turn out like this,” Naru laughed. There was a loud slapping noise, and Saicame skidding to a halt at their feet. “Or like that,” She bent down and picked Sai up by the back of his shirt. The combination of him slouched, his shirt pulled up into her fist, and his somewhat surprised expression, all added up to him looking a little bit like a misbehaving kitten being picked up by its mother. Naru smiled.

 

“You’d have been safer just continuing to bother me, Sai-san,” She set him on his feet, and he touched his cheek absentmindedly.

 

“I don’t understand,” He said, looking down at Naru. She shook her head. 

 

“That’s obvious,” She sighed. She brushed a leaf off of his shoulder and straightened his shirt roughly. “It’s not a crime to have trouble understanding people, Sai-san. But it’s a shame to not try. I love people. I love them a lot,”

 

**_BECAUSE YOU’RE A FOOL._ **

 

_ Don’t be so snotty, Kurama. _

 

Sai just looked at her, lost in thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Giver, K.Flay
> 
> Sai: Coldhearted, Bryce Fox
> 
> I'm not even spell checking anymore folks


	34. Sai, Mysterious Symptoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sai is catchin' feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay folks I'm just saying now that I love Sai a lot ok i love him

Sai watched the back of Naru’s head as she stomped along, ahead of them all. His whole life, every order, every bit of training… It was supposed to stop this from happening. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything at all. Emotions weakened the mind. They obstructed the way the mind works. They were the destroyers of logic.

 

But he couldn’t stop the confusion that was clouding his head. He didn’t understand what was happening, and it made it all ten times worse. He had no emotions. He had no feelings. There was nothing. There had to be nothing.

 

“Well, this is as far as we can get tonight,” Yamato said, drawing to a halt and looking around the little clearing. Naru stopped and turned. Sai let his feet fall and looked at the captain. 

 

“Okay. Who’s got the tent?” Naru said, shrugging her bag off, “I can pitch it. Or I can gather some firewood. Whatever you need,”

 

“Neither will be necessary,” Yamato said calmly, flipping through hand signs and then drawing a massive building from the ground. It was beautiful. The leaf village symbol sat above the door. Yamato flashed them all a quick smile. 

 

Naru’s jaw had dropped. Sai felt a strange tightness in his chest at her expression. His lungs seemed like they didn’t want to listen. He felt like he was holding helium in his throat. She just looked so… surprised. 

 

He almost clutched his stomach. He could feel his stomach flex. What was this? A reaction to some poison? Was he sick? 

 

“Cap, that’s the coolest shit I’ve ever seen. You just… like… made that,” Naru said, her face bright with excitement, like a child. He’d read her file. He’d seen her fight. She shouldn’t have looked so innocent. She’d taken lives just like the rest of them.

 

Sakura let out a laugh, brushing her hair back out of her face and beaming at Naru, her eyes sparkling. “Naru, you nerd, we already saw him summon the cage,”

 

“But he just made a whole  _ house, _ Sakura! It’s so cool!” Naru grinned, bringing her hands up to the back of her head and looking eagerly at Yamato, “Can we go in?”

 

“Go ahead, that’s what it’s here for,” Yamato said, laughter in his voice. Both he and Sakura were smiling indulgently as Naru jumped up and down before rushing in, audibly charging up the stairs. They both ducked in, but Sai stayed outside, looking at the leaf symbol above the door. What were these symptoms? Was he dying?

 

Naru stuck her head back out of the door. They made eye contact, and she squinted.

 

“What you doin’?”

 

Sai hesitated for a moment. “Nothing,”

 

“Get in here and look at this then. And Cap wants to like, plan and shit,”

 

Sai hesitated again, unsure why even as he shifted his weight. Naru sighed and shoved the door wide, stepping out and grasping the front of his shirt, dragging him forward into the house. She hauled him out of the way of the door and closed it. Sai looked around. 

 

The house was beautiful, and at the top of the stairs was a sign that read ‘Welcome Team Kakashi’. Sai glanced at Naru, who was also looking at the sign. Her brow was furrowed, her broad shoulders squared. She was almost pouting. He eyed her thick arms, encased in a high quality mesh armour. 

 

He thought of her file. He had definitely read that she had refused to wear armour before she had left Konohagakure. There had never been any armour issued to her, standard or otherwise, and her chunin vest had never been worn on a mission. It had all been in her file. 

 

_ So where had she gotten such valuable armour? _ He watched the way it shifted when she bent her arms. She’d likely never been paid that much. There had been a mention on a copy of one of her mission reports that had mentioned a gift given from a feudal lord. He wondered if he was looking at it. Her reports were mostly gibberish anyway. He’d been surprised, as well, by how few of them there were. She’d hardly handed any reports in at all. 

 

“What you lookin’ at?” She said, shaking him from his reverie. He tilted his head.

 

“Did you steal your armour?”

 

Naru scowled at him. “I’ve never stolen anything in my life,”

 

He opened his mouth to speak again, but Naru cut him off, seemingly thinking better than to let him reply.

 

“Okay, okay, let's go talk to the captain,” She said, charging up the stairs two at a time. Sai followed her. they entered the room, and he settled with the others around an oil lamp that someone had lit. Naru flopped down next to Sakura, leaning heavily on one arm and propping her other up on her knee. She whispered something to Sakura, who smiled and whispered something back. Sai watched this exchange with interest. He’d seen friends speak before, but he’d never been in such close proximity with two people who both openly acknowledged how much they loved one another. ‘Best friends,’ Sakura had called it. They were best friends. 

 

He remembered what Sakura had said about Naru as they walked.

 

_ “You’d do well to keep your mouth shut about Sasuke. She loves him. He’s her best friend. He’s probably even more than that, if we’re being honest,” _

 

_ “More than you?” _

 

_ “Different than me,” She’d said, “They’re like… opposites. They balance each other out. Naru and I get along well because we’re alike in a lot of ways. Naru and Sasuke… well, they don’t get along at all,” _

 

_ “Then how can they be friends?”  _

 

_ “Don’t ask me,” Sakura had shrugged, “But they couldn’t leave one another alone. It was like they needed one another. When they were together, it didn’t matter who else was there. It was like they were the only people in the room,” _

 

_ “So they didn’t care about you?” _

 

For some reason, the conversation had ended there. Sai looked up at Captain Yamato.

 

“And our teams will be Sai-san and Naru-san, and Sakura-san is going to be with me,”

 

Both Naru and Sakura stiffened. Naru looked at Sai, and Sakura looked at Yamato. “With all do respect, Captain,” She said, “Naru and I have been fighting together for years, we would make a better- pardon, a more  _ cohesive _ team than Sai-san and Naru,”

 

Yamato pursed his lips. “I’m sure that you do make a great team,” He said, “But I’m afraid that Sai-san and Naru-san are more balanced, Given that she is a close range fighter and he is mid to long range, they will be able to cover one another well. And you, as the only medical ninja on our team and our heaviest hitter, should hang back with me in case of injury,”

 

“That’d be all well and good, if only King Dick and I could get on,” Naru snapped. Sakura nudged her subtly, and Naru frowned at her as well. 

 

“King Dick would be me, I suppose,” Sai said cooly. “I think we’d be fine working together, Naru-san,”

 

Naru, who’d been running her thumb thoughtfully over her bottom lip, listening to Sakura as she hissed into her ear. She hummed, and nodded, before looking up at Sai again. “As I now have a plan and not a choice, I think I’ll sleep,” She got up, and nodded at Captain Yamato. She held her hand out to Sakura, who took it, letting Naru help her to her feet. They both left the room, sliding the door shut behind them. Sai moved to get up as well, but Yamato gestured for him to stay still. He stilled, and they both listened carefully. After a moment, Sai began to hear it. Unintelligible, but a definite conversation. Yamatoo seemed satisfied, and waved Sai on. Sai got to his feet, and left the room as well. When he slid the door open, he saw Naru, leaning against the stair railing, listening to Sakura carefully.

 

“If we do find him, you’ll need to keep your head on. And that’s not a pun about your neck, either-”

 

Both ninja looked up and glared at Sai. Sai said nothing, and filed past them to the bathroom. As he did, he realised something very, very unwelcome.

 

It had been laughter. That’s what he’d felt earlier. He’d wanted to laugh.  _ Well… that’s not good. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sai: Rise - Dragon Age: Inquisition OST - Tavern song
> 
> Naru: Welcome To Eden, Samia
> 
> Sakura: Skeletons-acoustic, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
> 
> Yams: The Stable Song, Gregory Alan Isakov


	35. Naru, Waking Up And Passing Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru wakes up. Events happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear three days left folks

Naru awoke with Sakura tucked up under her arm. They’d fallen asleep whispering about what they’d say to lady Tsunade to try to get Sasuke’s sentence lessened, if they caught him. At one point Sakura had begun shivering, and Naru had thrown her arm over her. One of the benefits of having a fox demon dwelling in you and working out near constantly was that Naru ran warm. 

 

Sakura must have drawn closer to that heat in the night, with her head resting on Naru’s shoulder. Her hand was a little numb, and tingling, but Naru let Sakura lie there a little longer, eyeing the ceiling. She was so close to Sasuke. So close to fulfilling her promise to the Kunoichi tucked under her arm. Naru brought her thumb to her bottom lip and ran the calloused edge of it across the sensitive skin there. What would the do if Sasuke refused to come back? Would she have to hurt him again? Would he kill her again?

 

Sakura shifted a little, and green eyes cracked open. Naru met them, slowly extracting her arm from around her friend and sitting up.

 

“Morning, sleepyhead. Big day ahead of us,”

 

“How long have you been awake?” Sakura groaned, filling over and stretching. Naru rolled her shoulders and ruffled her hair, looking around for her headband. 

 

“Not real long, maybe ten, fifteen minutes?” 

 

“And you just laid there and let me drool on you?” Sakura laughed, sitting up. Naru shot her a sleepy, crooked grin. 

 

“You looked real peaceful,” Naru said. Sakura smiled back, resting her chin on her hand, “We don't know what’s gonna happen today. I thought you’d wanna have a lie in, just in case,”

 

Sakura hesitated, running her pointer finger along the edge of her jaw, seeming lost in thought. “Ah,” She said, “I think I would’ve preferred to have those minutes awake with you,”

 

“Noted,” Naru said, getting up and grabbing her toothbrush, “I’ll remember for next time,” She bit the head of the brush and rummaged for her toothpaste. Sakura got up and tossed her own at Naru, who caught it and smiled around the brush hanging out of her mouth. Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head, looking exasperated.

 

“You’re something,” Sakura said. Naru straightened up and stretched.

 

“Something good?” She said.

 

“Something,” Sakura laughed, shuffling toward the door. She paused, resting her hand on the frame and looking down at her feet. She bit her bottom lip, the leaned her head against the wood of the sliding door. “We’re gonna get him back today,”

 

“Yeah,” Naru said, feeling a lump form in her throat.

 

“Because you love him…” She said. Naru tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

 

“... yes,” Naru said, “ _ we _ love him,”

 

Sakura straightened up, took a deep breath, and nodded. “Well… We’re gonna drag him back by his stupid… stupid dumb hair, Naru,” She said, “And he’s gonna come home,”

 

“Yeah,” Naru said, her voice getting stronger again, “Yeah, we are,”

 

Sakura ducked out of the room, and Naru packed both their bags as she brushed her teeth. After Sakura came back, they both shrugged their bags back on and headed out of the house. 

 

They met up with Yamato and Sai, and headed toward Tenchi bridge. Yamato disguising himself as Sasori as they drew closer. They gained the bridge, and the three teenagers hid as Yamato made his way out onto the bridge. 

 

Soon a hooded figure approached, and Naru scowled as a strange, crawling sensation overtook her. She knew that feeling. She knew who was under that cloak.

 

Kabuto spoke. Naru couldn’t hear over the pounding of her heart in her ears. It was quick, quicker than she’d expected, and everything began to go wrong. Orochimaru appeared, and Yamato was injured. 

 

Naru and Sai rushed forward. Sai countered Kabuto, sending him back to Orochimaru’s side. Naru, however, only had eyes for him. Her chest was filled with acid. Her throat burned. 

 

She snarled, feeling her spine curl downward. Her voice came out more as a growl than anything else. “Give Sasuke back you stupid, ugly piece of shit,”

 

“Oh, look, the little fox is upset. What a lovely opportunity to put Sasuke-kun to the test. See how much he’s grown,” Orochimaru cooed happily, “I’m sure he’d love a chance to stretch his wings, aren’t you, Kabuto?”

 

“Give. Him. Back,” She growled. Her throat was already raw. All she could feel was anger and agony. The air was hot, and she felt like she was being lit on fire, with someone pouring fuel over her head. Her hands touched the wood of the bridge, and they had claws. She felt her teeth pierce her lip, and her body coil, like a spring, ready to pounce. “Or else,”

 

“Foolish little brat,” Orochimaru laughed, “Sasuke-kun isn’t some toy or plaything that can be given. He chose  _ me _ , and strength. Not  _ you _ , pathetic brat,”

 

“I’m  _ not  _ **_giving him a CHOICE_ ** ,” She screamed, her voice breaking out into a deep, cacophonous rumble. A force of nature. Her voice left her and became something else. The forewarning of a disaster. “ **_HE’S COMING HOME IF HE LIKES IT OR NOT,_ ** ”

 

“Naru, no!” Sakura yelled. Everyone ignored her.

 

“Ah, dear,” Orochimaru said, stepping forward, “Maybe I should just take care of you myself,”

 

**_“TRY IT, YOU FUCK,_ ** ” She felt her skin begin to burn, to blister, and she began to lose control. Naru glared up at him.

 

**_GIVE ME THE BODY, KIT. I’LL SETTLE THIS FOR US BOTH._ **

 

Naru started forward. She tilted her head, and looked up at Orochimaru. “ **_GIVE HIM TO ME, OR DIE TODAY,”_ ** They said.

 

Orochimaru cocked an eyebrow. Naru heard Sakura call out again, but she only saw Orochimaru’s sickly smirk.

 

_ Kill him. _

 

**_GLADLY._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Guerilla Radio, Rage Against the Machine
> 
> Sakura: girls, girl in red
> 
> Kurama: Calm Like A Bomb, Rage Against The Machine


	36. Kurama, Swatting Flies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurama's got the body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurama = Platonic Venom dont fucking talk to me

**_This is rare._ ** They thought, letting themselves slide down along muscle and bone, letting the power in them fill the body.  **_To get control like this..._ ** Looking up through her eyes at this…  _ thing _ . This pathetic mortal who had tried to become something more than what he was.  **_Disgusting_ ** . They would stop this. They would bring the Uchiha back.  **_Perhaps kill him._ ** They had to work that out.

 

Kurama stayed on the bridge for a moment, looking up at the insect that stood, looking smug and confident as he watched Kurama take control. He didn’t understand. If he could, he would not have that expression on his face. If he had a single clue what was happening, he would run for his life. Kurama took an experimental step forward, and tilted their head. The body moved jarringly. They could feel him- his power- doing damage to it. To them. With the seal the way it was, and her body what it was, there was no way to spare her this pain. But it was alright. She would not die. He would make sure of that. They would not die.

 

Only  _ Orochimaru  _ would die. 

 

They burst forward, quickly, taking the humans all by surprise. They caught grip of the man, and crushed downward, but his mouth opened wide and a double slid out of it, like a snake shedding its skin. His double looked marginally less smug. Kurama slammed their hands downward and roared, letting the scream cast shock waves over the woods around them.

 

They moved slowly again, stuttering, The muscles of this body not wanting to listen, or unable to, listening to Naru’s little companions call out to them. They were fools. Didn’t they know he would not let her die? That the harm she sustained would be fixed by him later?

 

They reached forward, their arm extending, their fist crashing into the ground as the snake slithered away. He fled.  **_Finally gained some sense, then_ ** _. _

 

Kurama gave chase, crashing through the forest, obliterating trees, catching the man again. They ground shook with every move, every step, and despite the pain, this felt  _ good _ . They liked sharing the body, being present in the physical world again. They reached out again and their arm splintered into a thousand clawed hands. They snatched at him as he evaded them to his best ability, shifting his form and beginning to look worried. 

 

They were getting sick of this. They wanted to get to the  _ point. _ They drew their arms back and screamed again. The snake spat out a swarm of other, smaller snakes, all of which held the blades of swords in their mouths. Kurama tilted their head and swept the pathetic things aside, destroying them. 

 

They began to let chakra rise out of them, floating away, rising off of their body like blood in water, they let it seep away, and then gathered it back, drawing it in toward their mouth. The man tried to attack again, but it did nothing. The chakra was compressed into a ball above their head. They swallowed it. 

 

They levelled their gaze at Orochimaru. They measured his features. He began making hand signs desperately. They compressed the energy further in their chest, before opening their mouth and letting it rocket out in a beam toward him. Orochimaru summoned a Triple Roshomon, but the beam blasted through them like tissue paper.

 

They paused, looking through the wreckage of the summons and waiting for movement. Orochimaru eventually slid up out of the dirt, his body snake-like, his neck elongated, inhuman.  **_He will never be more than a fly in the web of mortality. Disgusting deceiver. Pathetic human-beast._ ** They screamed up at him again, the world shaking with it. Orochimaru spat forth a sword, and it crashed into their abdomen, forcing them back, through trees, slamming them into the cliffside, pinning them there. 

 

They sat, glaring at the sword, then glaring up at Orochimaru. They screamed again, feeling loose stone shake down from the cliff. The sword pressed against their abdomen, but could not pierce them. Orochimaru pressed down again, trying desperately to stab them. Kurama smirked internally.  **_Fool. This form can’t be damaged by the likes of you._ **

 

They smacked the sword aside, causing it to crash across and lodge itself deep into the cliff. They moved to launch forward, but something caught the corner of their eye. The girl, Naru’s girl, the pink haired one. Sakura… or Ibara… was fighting against the grip someone had on her. She was crying, straining to get to them. The part of  _ them _ that was  _ her _ felt distressed.

 

“Naru! Stop! Come back!” Sakura screamed. Kurama turned. They looked at her. They tried to speak.

 

**_She is fine. Don’t worry._ ** But it just came out as a wordless scream. She fell to her knees, slapping her hands over her ears.  **_Whoops… no talking._ **

 

“Naru!” The girl cried. Kurama tilted their head. It was jerky, and they just wanted to finish killing Orochimaru. But the girl struggled back to her feet, wincing as she did, and started toward them again. 

 

They slid back.  **_Don’t touch, you idiot girl, you’ll die. These humans, throwing themselves on the pyre._ ** But the girl kept approaching, pleading that Naru regain control. She was getting too close. Kurama could have let her die. But…

 

_ Please don’t hurt her, Kurama. _

 

**_Oh for fuck’s sake._ **

 

They reached out with one of the tails they’d managed to get through, and brushed her aside as gently as they could. She yelped, and they would have frowned if they could. 

 

There was a tug, and icy burn on their chest. They moved back again, trying to scramble away, but they were suddenly bound, spread wide, with what felt like frostbite burning across their sternum. They screamed again. Then…

 

Then all was blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurama: Berzerk, Eminem


	37. Naru, Oof, Ouch, My Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru wakes up on the wrong side of the bridge they exploded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear. Hiatus is in two days kids. Sorry!
> 
> HMU on my socials and I'll try to keep giving you guys some content over the break

Naru awoke to the agony of being in a body that had no  _ fucking _ skin on it, which was... less than ideal.

 

“Did we kill him?” She asked, her voice coarse. She peered up at Sakura, whose face was tear stained, and her hands, held over Naru’s chest, were shaking. 

 

“No, you didn’t,” Sakura said, looking down over Naru. Naru curled a little off the ground and looked at herself. Skin was slowly reappearing over her body. Her trousers were singed, torn and tattered into shorts. She silently thanked the gods her boxers were so long, as they had seemed to help preserve what was left of the trousers. Her tank top had burned as well, but not as badly. All in all, she was surprised she still had any at all, considering that her  _ skin was fucking gone. _

 

Her head hit the ground again, and she groaned. “You guys stopped us? How’d you stop us?” She glanced over at Tenchi bridge... or rather, where T enchi bridge used to be. The rebar had been bent like flimsy wire, and most of it was just... gone.

 

“That’s why I was assigned to this team,” Yamato said, “You wear the first hokage’s necklace. I can force the fox demon back. I… I’m not sure if now is the time to explain-”

 

“Or that I’ll understand. It’s fine, I know I’m dumb,” Naru snapped.

 

“It’s not-”

 

“Naru,” Sakura’s voice was soft, and the skin on Naru’s hands was slowly growing back. She clenched them in the dirt.

 

“You should have let us finish the job,” She said, her voice thick in her throat with tears and pain. She winced at how…  **_pathetic_ ** it sounded. “Now I’m useless,”

 

“Naru you aren’t useless! I’m going heal you and then we’re going to go and get Sasuke-”   
  


“Sakura!” She said, her voice hoarse and broken, “You can’t fix this.  _ He _ has to do it and it’s going to take time and I haven’t got any juice left in me. I’m going to be useless in any fight we might have,”

 

“Then I’ll fight for you,” Sakura said. Naru looked up at her friend again, and shook her head. 

 

“I’ll fight this myself. I’m just…” She groaned as she sat up, nudging Sakura’s hands away and moving to get up, “being dramatic. Where’s the pale one? King Dick?”

 

“Sai… Sai-san left, after Orochimaru and Kabuto...“ Yamato said, looking almost nervous.

 

“Well let’s go get him too,” Naru grunted, straightening up, “the list of idiots who are following Orochimaru around that I’m gonna get back just keeps growing. Yell if anyone else hops on that crazy train,”

 

“I genuinely hope that no one does… but, I will be sure to inform you if it happens,” Yamato said, watching Naru stagger slightly before she started walking. He cleared his throat. “Uh, Naru-san?”

 

“Let’s Go!” She said irritably, shaking some blood and serosanguinous fluid off her hands. Yamato pointed over his shoulder.

 

“Actually… they went that way…”

  
Naru turned around on her heel slowly and stomped past her teammates in the correct direction. “Okay, you coulda  _ said so,” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Miss Me, Lekeli47
> 
> Sakura: No Lights On The Horizon, Metric


	38. Sai, What Is This Feeling? Probably Indigestion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sai analyses his feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy halloween. See you in a month?

Sai looked down at the book in his hands. Incomplete. Unfinished. Something in his chest  _ hurt.  _ Something in his mind was  _ wrong _ . 

 

He thought briefly of the way Naru looked at Sakura. The way her face twisted when he talked about Sasuke. Her little, nervous smiles at Yamato. His heart thudded faster in his chest. He wanted that. He wanted to… to  _ protect _ that. He wanted to make sure that that continued to exist on this earth because he had always been raised to protect Konohagakure, to place Konoha above all else. He’d never questioned why. Blind patriotism had been called for and he’d supplied it. 

 

But now it felt as though he’d seen something actually worth putting his faith in. Not necessarily Naru herself, she was an idiot. But the way she felt about other people, and the way other people felt about her. He felt protective of that. 

 

He looked up at the door. He had to find a way to unlock it, and get out. But would he be able to carry out his mission to kill Sasuke, knowing what it would do to Naru?

 

There was likely several minutes where he just sat on the bed, staring at the door, considering whether or not to break out. Time slid by without him really thinking too much about it. 

 

But then the door shattered, and a foot caught briefly on the remaining bottom half. A familiar voice swore.

 

“You didn’t even check to see if it was unlocked,” Said another voice. The foot withdrew. They pushed the remaining parts of the door aside and kicked the bottom half in. Naru stumbled over the splinters and met Sai’s gaze. She was covered in blood, her hair was burned and matted with gore. Her trousers had burned to the knees, and there were holes singed in her tank top and the only thing about her that seemed whole and uninjured was her mesh rashguard.  _ Very high quality armour. _

 

“Not Sasuke,” She called over her shoulder. She stomped over to him and smacked him across the face. After being hit twice by Sakura in as many days, Naru’s halfhearted slap felt like a friendly greeting. 

 

“How’d you get here?” He asked. Naru ignored him. She bent down, grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him over her shoulder. She turned and stomped back out of the room.

 

“Cap put a tracker on you,” She said coldly, starting down the hallway with him draped over her tacky, blood soaked shoulder. He twisted so he could look up at Sakura and Yamato. 

 

“Hello,”

 

“Hey,” Sakura said, shooting him a dirty look and turning back to Naru, “You know you don’t have to carry him, right?”

 

“Don’t want him wandering off again… This place is huge. We should split up,”

 

“That’s a fantastically stupid idea,” Sakura said, frowning at Naru and looking at Yamato. 

 

Yamato, however, looked like he was considering it. Sai turned and looked up at the back of Naru’s head. “We could split into two teams,”

 

“I’m not putting you down, deserter,”

 

“That makes us a team I suppose,” He sighed. A low rumble seemed to emanate from Naru’s chest.

 

“Okay, fine, whatever,” She snapped, kicking in another door while still holding him over her shoulder. 

 

“Okay, that seems like an alright way to do this. Yell of you find him,” Yamato said, watching as Naru put her foot through yet another door. Sai grunted as she shifted him further up her shoulder and stomped further down the hall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Wrecking Ball, Mother Mother
> 
> Sai: Turn, The Wombats (it's literally his theme song don't talk to me i've used it before I'll use it again)


	39. Naru, With or Without Hesitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru is generally irritated and unhappy about being in pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didja miss me? No.
> 
> Didja miss Naru? hopefully!

Naru was trying hard not to let Sai know exactly how much pain she was in. He was draped limply over her shoulder, still offering no resistance to her carrying him from doorway to doorway as she kicked them in. Occasionally, he attempted to make casual conversation… or at least, what he seemed to think casual conversation was. 

 

“You realise that Sasuke will most likely attempt to kill you if you find him, don’t you?”

 

Naru didn’t even attempt to answer. She just put her foot through another one of Orochimaru’s doors and swore. Sai planted his hands on her back and pushed, lifting himself enough so that he could see her face.

 

“You realise that he obviously doesn’t… you know… feel the way you feel about him, don’t you?”

 

“What would you know about how either of us feel?” Naru replied sharply, turning a corner and setting Sai on his feet, staring him down. He tilted his head. The motion was odd. It seemed alien. 

 

“You say you love him, don’t you? You must realise he doesn’t love you. If he did he wouldn’t have left you for Orochimaru and we wouldn’t be where we are,”

 

Naru backed up, leaning against the wall and sliding down it, letting herself slow down for a moment. She looked up at Sai and sighed.

 

“It doesn’t matter,” She said, trying to run her fingers through her hair and frowning as she felt the singed strands snap at her touch. 

 

Sai shuffled over and sat down next to her. “Why would his disregard for you not matter? Isn’t the whole point of love to be loved back?”

 

Naru couldn’t help but look surprised as she looked over at Sai. “Who told you that?” She asked. Sai just shrugged. Naru shook her head. “Nah, nah. The thing about loving people, is that, really, there isn’t a point at all. You just do it. You do it because the person you love is great and fantastic and they… they need it. And you need it too, cause giving love is more important than getting it. You gotta love people, or you wind up a gross shrivelled up emotional raisin,” She looked up at Sai. “Like you,”

 

Sai blinked. “I’m an emotional raisin?”

 

“Yeah. You gotta work on that,” Naru said. "No one likes raisins,"

"I like raisins,"

 

"That's because you are one, and you recognise your people," She said, stretching her aching legs out in front of her and exerting all the resolve in her body in order to not flinch, "also, that's terrible, you cannibal,"

 

She froze. Her skin was crawling. She got to her feet and pulled Sai into the nearest room, pulling the door mostly shut and peering through the crack. There was a few minutes of silence, and she felt Sai begin to grow a little restless, when footsteps became audible. 

 

Kabuto came around the corner, his face buried in a scroll as he navigated the lair easily. Naru gestured for Sai to stay still, and waited until Kabuto drew even with the door before swinging it out as hard as she could and slamming it straight into his face. There was a satisfying thus as his nose shattered and he toppled backward, holding it. Naru stepped out and walked up to him, quickly stamping on his face again for good measure. Kabuto let out a grunt of pain and spat out a mouthful of blood and a tooth. 

 

“Naruto Uzumaki,” He sneered, glaring up at her. She tilted her head and scowled down at him.

 

“Gross creepy loser man,” She stooped down and grasped the front of his shirt and dragged him up toward her, blood pouring from his nostrils and split lip, “Where’s Sasuke?”

 

Kabuto smirked, his glasses glinting, highlighting where one lens had cracked, “Oh, he’s somewhere around here. I’d be careful, he doesn’t like to be roused while he’s napping,”

 

“I grew up with him, freak. I knew he gets grumpy when he wakes up,” Naru snapped, shaking him, “Either tell me where he is or just admit you’re not going to say anything useful so I can break your neck and have done with it,”

 

“I’m not telling you anything,” Kabuto sneered. Naru shrugged, and as Sai watched, she palmed the top of Kabuto’s head and rotated it sharply. There was a nasty cracking sound, and she dropped his useless, empty body. 

 

“Told him what would happen,” She said calmly, straightening up and looking around. Sai was watching her with a genuinely interested expression. 

 

“Do you always kill people without hesitating like that?”

 

Naru looked up at Sai. “Why wouldn’t I kill him? He’s a traitor and a useful asset to Orochimaru,”

 

“We could have taken him back to Konoha and questioned him,” Sai pointed out. Naru hesitated, drawing a slow breath in.

 

“Didn’t think of that,” She admitted shortly, “He just annoys me,”

 

“Annoyed,” Sai corrected, glancing down at Kabuto’s broken form and shrugging. “This mission is not going to plan,”

 

“... Do missions ever go to plan?” She asked. Sai looked up at her, and his face split into a genuine smile. Naru’s heart did a backflip in her chest. Seeing Sai smile was like looking at the sunset over Konoha. She wanted to watch it over and over again. Happiness suited him. 

 

“Yes, most of them do,” He laughed, “But most of them don’t include you,”

 

Naru smiled back and started down the hall again. “I guess so,” She said, holding back a laugh of her own, “Guess it’s a good thing you don’t mind being kept on your toes,”

 

“I guess so,” he said as she turned and kicked in another door. 

 

“Empty,” She said. She looked over her shoulder. “Why you just standing there? Crack open some doors, have a look,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Hang Me Up To Dry, Cold War Kids
> 
> Sai: Out Of My Head, The Wombats


	40. Sai, One Last Look And Then We're Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sai contemplates the nature of emotions. Again. Because he's a raisin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> something wicked this way comes

Sai was opening doors as Naru continued to kick others in, getting caught in them and slicing her leg open on more than one of them. He wondered vaguely if it was because she was nervous, and couldn’t find any other way to deal with her emotions. Danzo had warned him of the effects nervousness had on logical function. That it obliterated it entirely.  _ That’s why what we do here is so important. That’s why you must feel nothing. _

 

Sai stared into yet another empty, dark room. He’d always supposed emotions were a kind of paralytic. That they made it so that a person couldn’t complete their missions, their goals. That they got in the way. That logic was the great motivator behind all action, and that emotion was weakness. 

 

But Naru proved that wrong. She was a complete stranger to logic, and yet… She never stopped. She completed her missions. Not conventionally, but still, she completed them. Where Sai would have faltered, where he would have doubted himself, Naruto Uzumaki reached forward and snapped a neck. She had obviously sustained heavy damage during her fight with Orochimaru, and yet there she was, kicking down doors and swearing her head off, calling out for Sasuke and yelling at Sai to move faster as she rushed ahead, slamming into doors and shattering them. 

 

For a moment Sai wondered if he would be able to do the same in her position. And then he remembered that he couldn’t ever be in her position, that she was only doing this mission at all because of how she felt about Sasuke, and he’d never felt that way about anyone.

 

Or maybe he had, and just couldn’t remember. He shut the door and moved on to the next one. He couldn’t see Naru anymore. She was completely out of sight. 

 

He hesitated for a moment, looking around, listening hard, but then sighed and opened the next door.

 

It wasn’t empty. There was a body reclining on the bed, breathing gently, spiky black hair and a dim outline just visible in the half light. Sai froze. He wanted to shout, to let Naru know that he’d found him. That Sasuke was right here, in front of him. 

 

But who was to say what would happen when Sasuke awoke? No. Sai knelt and drew snakes across his scroll, bringing them to life and sending them slithering toward Sasuke’s sleeping form. But just before they could bind him, those red eyes opened wide, almost glowing in the darkness. 

 

“You better have a good reason for waking me,” his low voice growled as he glared at the imposing snakes and Sai, crouched in the doorway. Sai tilted his head. 

 

“You’re coming back to Konoha with us,” He said, his voice even. Here he was, back in his comfort zone, glaring at an enemy and feeling nothing. 

 

“Like hell I am,” Sasuke growled. He was standing, and light flashed, Sai covered his eyes with his arm as he was blasted backward. Rock and rubble was raining down over him, and he fought his way through the dirt. 

 

Suddenly he was standing in a clearing, and someone was shouting. Sai just looked up at Sasuke, whi was standing on solid ground twenty feet above him, the sunlight behind him, making him incredibly hard to see, especially in contrast to the dim half light that they'd previously been in. 

 

Heavy footsteps became audible. Sai looked around. Sakura came sprinting out of the exposed cavern, skidding to a halt and glaring up at Sasuke. She snarled wordlessly when she set eyes on him, clenching her fists. Yamato hesitated in the opening of the cave, unwilling to expose himself when Sasuke might not be aware of their true numbers. 

 

And then they all tensed, because they could hear more footsteps, and they all knew who was about to come running out of that hallway. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sai: First Day Of My Life, Bright Eyes
> 
> Sasuke: Criminal, Fiona Apple (because he's a dramatic hoe and he's about to get HIT with these facts)
> 
> Naru: S.L.U.T., Bea Miller


	41. Naru, Button Your Fucking Shirt Up I Swear To God I will Beat Your Fuckign Ass Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru meets up with her BFF and shenanigans ensue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Love Ibara (sakura didn’t know what went down. No one knew what went down. Now Everyone In The Village Is Gonna Know What Went Down)
> 
> I had to hold back so many jokes in this chapter bruh like bless cherry for speaking sense into me everyone thank cherry

She was running, sprinting, sliding around corners, kicking doors in.

 

“Not here,” Naru called. “Where is he?” 

 

There was a resounding crash, it shook the whole tunnel system. She felt her already aching legs burn as she ran back toward it, seeing sunlight and open air streaming through where the explosion had happened. She ran out into open air and came to stand near where Sakura and Sai were. They were both staring up, and she looked up too…

 

His name fell from her lips without her meaning to say it.

 

“...Sasuke…”

 

There he was, her best friend, standing in the streaming sunlight, and when his eyes fell on her, his face fell from its usual mask of apathy. Surprise overtook him. His eyes grew wide, his lips parted slightly.

 

She glanced over his body. His chest was badly scarred, the center raised and wide, with thinner portions radiating outward, where Kabuto had pieced together what was left of his shredded skin and broken ribs. He left it exposed, his shirt wide open, as though he was proud of the old wound. The thickest part was still pink, where the thinner portions had aged into a silver white. She looked back up at his face and flashed him a smile that most likely looked more like a snarl than anything that could be taken as friendly.

 

“Naruto?” He asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. Naru pointed up at him.

 

“Who the fuck else would I be? Her evil twin? Of course I’m Naru!” She snapped, stepping forward. She wanted to touch him, to apologise- She wanted to hit him, to demand  _ his _ apology. Mostly she just wanted him closer. Mostly she just wanted him back.

 

Sasuke blinked. He shook his head. “I  _ killed _ you!” He said, his voice almost reverent, like he was seeing an illusion, something impossible. 

 

“Uh, you can’t even manage to button up your shirt and you thought you could seal the deal on me? Really? I mean, some on, if stabbing me was enough to take me out, I wouldn’t have made it through the academy,” She crossed her arms and scowled up at Sasuke. “And what’s with the chest situation anyway? If I’d known you wouldn’t find a new one, I wouldn’t have taken your shirt off all those years ago,”

 

“You what?” Sakura asked sharply. They all ignored her.

 

“Is now really the time to discuss our fashion choices?” Sasuke snapped. Naru snorted.

 

“Why not? Plenty of time to catch up on the rest when I drag you back to Konoha by your stupid hair,”

 

“You really haven’t changed at all, huh?” He said, narrowing his eyes. The surprise seemed to be wearing off. 

 

“Come down here and I’ll show ya exactly how much I’ve fuckin’ changed,” Naru growled. Sasuke snarled, and suddenly he was standing in front of her, his hand on his sword, his face so close to hers that their cheeks were almost touching. He rested his free forearm on her broad shoulder. His mask was back.

 

“I suppose I just wasn’t strong enough to really end you back then,” He said in a low voice, “But we can test if that’s changed, if you’d like,”

 

Naru turned her head and smirked at him. He was maybe an inch taller than her, if that. Something about it was satisfying. “Third time’s the charm, right? Go ahead, if it’ll make ya feel better,”

 

“It just might,” He said, drawing the sword and moving to run it through her back. She reached out, ready to grasp him and pull him to her, so that it would stab him as well, but…

 

Sai was standing behind her, his hand clenched tightly around Sasuke’s arm, holding his sword back, away from her. Sai’s free arm brushed her spine, like he was trying to shield it. Sasuke looked up at him, and cocked an eyebrow. 

 

“You picked the right block,” He drawled, “But you made a mistake getting in the way,”

 

Naru acted without thinking, drawing her head back and slamming it into his skull. He staggered backward, and Naru glared at him. 

 

“You’re still too sure of yourself, you’re still leaving yourself open to obvious shit, how many times do I have to tell you? You’ve had three years, man,” She cracked her knuckles and squared up to him, trying her best to hide how every inch of her body seemed to be screaming for her to stop, that she couldn’t take another fight. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glared at her. She hated the dislike in his face. She could hardly recognise him. 

 

“Well, we’ll see what three years has done,” 

 

_ And suddenly she was back in her mind, skidding across the floor, slamming into the table, sending it flying. She grunted in pain as she watched Sasuke’s feet land lightly. He looked around, bemused.  _

 

_ “Not what I was expecting, if I’m being honest,” He said, taking in the red couch and the dimly lit white walls. Then his eyes fell on the window, and the wooden boards that were nailed over it. His eyebrow twitched.  “That’s a pathetic attempt to keep something back,”  _

 

_ Naru laughed weakly and struggled to her feet. “You want that to stay boarded up, Sasuke,” She said, flinching, “It’s really been done for your own good,” _

 

_ “Oh has it, now?” he sneered, holding his hand out and making a gesture like he was tearing down a shower curtain. The wood buckled, and splintered, revealing broken glass and a seemingly empty enclosure. Naru sighed.  _

 

_ “You’ve done it now,”  _

 

_ “Done what?” Sasuke asked sharply, looking at the enclosure, at the fresh claw marks in the walls and the shattered glass littering its floor.  _

 

_ “You done fucked up,” _

 

_ Kurama reared up out of nowhere and shoved his claws through the broken glass, making Sasuke leap back to avoid being gored as the Kyuubi crushed Naru’s couch. Sasuke’s eyes shot wide as Naru made a shrugging motion. _

 

_ “ _ **_COME HERE, UCHIHA BRAT, AND I WILL SHOW YOU HOW DEATH FEELS. SO EAGER TO INFLICT IT ON OTHERS. I WILL LET YOU FEEL SOMETHING PIERCE THE BACK OF YOUR NECK, I WILL LET YOU FEEL IT SNAP. COME AND TASTE DEATH,”_ **

 

_ Naru sprinted across the room and full body tackled Sasuke, just as Kurama made to swipe at him again, and Sasuke hit the wall, gaping at Kurama in horror. The demon made to swipe at him again, even as Naru drew her fist back and punched the side of his head. Sasuke grunted, and turned his face back up to glower at Naru. _

 

_ “So this is how you did it,” he spat.  _

 

_ “Did what?” She snarled, slamming her fist into his face again. Sasuke grasped her wrist and pulled it back, away from himself, and made to hit her, but she twisted out of the way and used him momentum to slam him into the floor of her mind, just barely out of Kurama’s reach as the demon continued to bellow at Naru to let him tear Sasuke apart.  _

 

_ “This is how you survived,” He sneered, “This is how you beat me,” _

 

_ “Don’t get cocky. This is how I survived, but I proved I could beat you hand to hand from the start,”  _

 

_ Sasuke glared up at her, and she glared back, and Kurama tried to further break the glass of his enclosure. _

 

Then Naru was hitting the real ground, and electricity was coursing through her, her muscles tensing and spasming painfully as Sasuke strode forward, radiating his sword again, making like he was going to behead her this time, when Ibara grabbed him around the neck and swung him head first into the wall. 

 

“Back it up, fucker,” She snarled, rocks raining down overhead as Naru panted for breath, her limbs shaking as she tried to get up despite the agony of her burns and shredded muscles. “Am I hearing this right? You thought you killed her and you  _ left _ ?” when Naru looked up, Ibara was shaking too, though not from pain. She grasped Sasuke’s upper arm and slammed him into the ground so hard that it shattered too, “You left her to  _ die? _ ” She screamed, moving to punch him, but striking the ground as he rolled out of the way just in time, the floor of the crater shattering. 

 

“Ibara-“ Naru groaned, “Don't… kill him,”

 

“I don’t think I’ve got a choice, now!” She screeched, reaching down and grasping his ankle, swinging him back toward the wall. He used his sword as leverage and yanked his leg from her grasp, swinging himself up, onto the wall, and standing there. He pulled his sword back out and pointed it at Ibara.

 

“You’re not Sakura,” He said, “You’re that other… thing,”

 

“Oh, we got a genius over here,” Ibara sneered tightening Sakura’s gloves and snarling. “I bet you figured out how to tie that fucking rope-belt all by yourself this morning, too, huh?” Naru finally managed to get to her feet and began to stumble toward Ibara, but Ibara held her hand out to stop her.

 

“No,” She said in a low voice, “I think I have to do this, Naru,”

 

“I-Ibara, don’t kill him,” Naru said. She looked up at Sasuke, at his scarred chest, his twisted, unfamiliar face, “I have to bring him back,”

 

“Sasuke is gone,” She said coldly, “He’s been gone. The second he considered hurting you like that, he was gone. It’s just taken Sakura and I this long to realise it,”

 

Sasuke tilted his head, looking at his former teammates coldly. “I think it’s time team seven went our separate ways. Permanently. See you in hell,” And then he was doing hand signs, and Naru leapt forward and swept Ibara off her feet, kneeling over her, shielding her from whatever was coming and squeezing her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Empty, Olivia O’Brien
> 
> Sasuke: I Don’t Care, Fall Out Boy 
> 
> Sai: 20 Dollar Nose Bleed, Fall Out Boy
> 
> Ibara: Find Me, TeZATalks


	42. Sasuke, And The Pain Of Making A Mistake For A Third Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the ink in Sasuke's cursemark is made from dumb bitch juice concentrate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one one hand i cant imagine the sheer trauma that Sasuke has been through in his lifetime and how horrible the narutoverse is
> 
> on the other, bitch why the fuck

Sasuke couldn’t believe what was happening. He had been so sure. He had waited after he’d done it. He’d laid beside her. He’d cried into her chest, intertwining their fingers, watching their blood mingle in the water and on the stones below them. He’d briefly thought that they would die there together, side by side. He’d accepted it- almost eagerly.

 

But he  _ hadn’t _ died. He’d stared at Naru, unmoving, unbreathing, her eyes wide and blank, and his body had refused to let him go. So he had gotten up, and he had draped his shirt over her. He’d left her behind, the last thing in Konoha that he loved, destroyed. Broken.  _ Gone. _

 

Dead.

 

Or so, he had thought. After three years of late nights spent mourning- after the nightly terrors of seeing his clan die mingled with the image of the shock and betrayal in her eyes as he pushed the knife through her neck until the point almost pressed through the skin of her throat, the blood leaking from her mouth as she fell forward onto him- after rooting out every last shred of regret, after accepting that he had left his heart beside her, that it was gone, that  _ he _ was gone... here she was, fiery, and loudmouthed, and just as confusing as ever. Every inch as alive and permanent as she had seemed in his youth. 

 

And it felt like she’d shattered his chest all over again. 

 

And the despair he felt when he realised that  _ she wasn’t dead _ , and he had to kill her  _ again _ , and that he had made the choice and it was too late to go back, and too late to regret… 

 

It hadn’t been a choice for years. He’d made his decision. He’d locked the door behind him and thrown away the key. He had no future in Konohagakure. There  _ was _ nothing left there for him.  _ Even if I want- Even though she- no. It’s too late. _

 

It had been years since he’d thought of a future beyond his brother’s death, it had been years since he  _ wanted  _ something other than the end of the Uchiha. It had been three years since he had thought that the Uchiha could do anything other than end. 

 

But they couldn’t.  _ It has to end with me. _

 

And now she was staggering forward, pleading with whatever had taken over Sakura’s body, pleading to spare  _ him _ . His heart caught in his chest. She was pleading for him, the look in her eyes when she did it, the way her voice cracked. He couldn’t take it.  _ He couldn’t take it. _

 

“I think it’s time team seven went our separate ways. Permanently. See you in hell,” He said, his eyes focused on Sakura as he performed the hand signs because he  _ couldn’t _ look at her, and kill her again, but he had to stop this, it was too much.

 

But then there she was, picking Sakura up and cradling her as he brought his hand closer to his mouth, and Naru was shielding the girl from harm as he inhaled deeply, and he looked at her badly burned hair and clothes and skin, and realised he was going to finish the job. He exhaled with all the might in his body, tears stinging his eyes as he watched the flames shoot out at her.

 

A slamming sound, and in a split second there was a wooden dome shielding his old teammates. Sasuke looked up in surprise, and his eyes landed on the culprit. Standing there in a vest, and a face plate was some  _ fucking  _ Konoha nin, glaring at Sasuke as he pulled the pale boy who’d saved Naru to his feet. Sasuke returned the glare with all the hatred and anger in his chest, his throat, his mind. All the disgust he felt at his own actions he now directed to this…  _ interloper _ .

 

“This is none of your business,” Sasuke spat, leaping down from his place on the wall and approaching him. The man frowned.

 

“Until now I’ve allowed Sakura-kun and Naru-kun to attempt to deal with you themselves,” He said calmly, “But it’s obvious to me that you will not come willingly. Now, out of respect for them, I was planning on attempting to retrieve you alive,”

 

“Thanks,” Naru grunted with an audible thump as she rolled off of Sakura. The man in the face plate didn’t acknowledge her.

 

“But I’m going to warn you here and now,” He continued, moving to a combative position, “I am more than willing to kill you,”

 

“You’re willing to try,” Sasuke spat, drawing his sword again and levelling it at the man. Naru swore behind him.

 

“You guys are really pushing the ‘how many times can Naru lose her shit’ envelope today, huh?” She snarled, suddenly standing in front of Sasuke and planting a flat palm to her scar on his chest. Sasuke grunted as she slammed him back and into the ground. “Can’t have you hurting the team, sorry, Sasuke-kun, but like I said before... if I gotta take you home on a-” She winced as he ran his sword through her oblique, “stretcher…. I will,”

 

“Naru-san!” The pale boy shouted, but Naru ignored him as she headbutted Sasuke as hard as she could. He saw stars, and ran his chidori through his sword again, electricity coursing through her body, she yelped and her eyes squeezed shut. Her lips curled back in a snarl, revealing sharp canines. She panted for breath for a second, but even as he put more power into his Chidori, she forced her eyes open.

 

They were red, and her pupils were slits. The snarl stayed even as his Chidori faltered. She was breathing heavily, and she grasped his forearm, ripping his hand away from the sword hilt still pressed into her side. “I’d rather die here than say I gave up when I had you in my hands,” She spat, her low voice quiet, too quiet for anyone else to hear. Sasuke arched up off the ground, bringing their faces closer, glaring up at her. 

 

“Then Die, Naruto,” He whispered back, and then he ran electricity through every inch of his body, throwing her off of him. She landed heavily on her back, the sword in her side sliding through the wound as she writhed on the ground. Her teeth clashed together, and he saw her spit a little chip of her front tooth out as she reached up one twitching arm toward his sword hilt and yanked it out of her side, tossing it aside. The pale boy yelled out again, and Sakura was scrambling for purchase on the ground, but it was the man with the faceplate who acted first. He sent wooden spikes toward Sasuke that he had to leap backward to escape. Sasuke clambered back up the wall and watched as Naru’s muscles relaxed, her chest stuttering as she struggled for breath, her eyes half hooded as both the strange boy and Sakura reached out for her. 

 

Sasuke wanted them all dead in that moment, and he raised his hand, ready to wipe the whole crater clean, when he heard that disgusting voice that made his skin crawl from up over his head. 

 

“Leave them,” Orochimaru simpered, his lip curling. Sasuke glared at him. 

 

“Why should I?” He snarled.  _ He couldn’t leave them. He couldn’t leave knowing she was alive. If he knew she was breathing how could he go? _

 

“They killed Kabuto,” Orochimaru said calmly. Sakura and Yamato both looked shocked, and Sasuke tried hard to suppress his own surprise. “We’re leaving now, Sasuke-kun, we have matters to attend to,”

 

“No…” Naru groaned weakly from down in the crater. Sasuke nodded and climbed up onto solid ground. He looked down into the clearing as the flames started at their feet. “Sasuke!” She called, sitting up and staring at him, her red eyes wide and pleading, her fanged teeth exposed as her lips parted. He would remember that face. “Don’t go!  _ Sasuke _ !”

 

He could never forget that face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke: Present Past Future, Beware of Darkness
> 
> Naru: Kiss Bang, grandson
> 
> Sakura and Sai: Enemy Fire, Bea Miller
> 
> Yamato: Muthafucka, Beware of Darkness


	43. Naru, Hurt and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bye sasuke see you in like seventy more chapters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you look closely at this arc you can see the exact second where sai gets his feelings back (it’s when naru kills a man)

She watched flames swallow him. The hatred in his eyes as he slowly disappeared was overwhelming. She couldn’t even hold it in until he’d gone completely.

 

She started to sob while he could still see. He saw her cry, tears running over her cheeks, her fangs slicing cuts into her bottom lip as she sniffled. Ibara pulled her close. Naru buried her face in Ibara’s shoulder and cried, one hand coming up to grip the fabric of her burnt shirt, balling it up into a fist over her aching chest. Ibara ran her gloved hand over Naru’s head, causing more singed hair to break away. Naru sniffed loudly and looked at her bleeding knees.

 

“He’s… he’s gone. I wasn’t strong enough… I let him go again,”

 

Ibara pursed her lips and looked up at the cliff. “I don’t think that you did,” She said coldly, “I don’t think that there’s any of the Sasuke we knew left in him,”

 

“Then that’s my fault too!” Naru wailed, throwing herself backward. Ibara caught her and pulled her back into a hug, “It’s because l couldn’t get him back all those years ago. Now he’s so different and it’s all my fault, because I  _ failed _ ,”

 

Ibara pressed her cheek against Naru’s forehead and sighed. “It’s not your fault. You aren’t responsible for his choices, Naru,”

 

Naru sniffed loudly. “I’m responsible for trying to help him,” Ibara just sighed again. 

 

“I’m going to kill him, Naru,” She said. Naru stopped crying and stared at her. 

 

“You’re not. You can’t! I’m trying to get him  _ back _ ,”

 

“He said he thought he had killed you. You said he tried twice. He tried two more times while you were fighting,” a muscle twitched in her jaw, “so I have to kill him. You’re my best friend, Naru, and he tried to kill you. That means that his head belongs on my mantle,” 

 

“You can’t kill him! Ibara, I’m serious. I swore that I’d get him back,”

 

“Well I don’t  _ want  _ you to keep that promise,” Ibara snapped, “I want him dead. And if I ever see him again, I’ll kill him,” 

 

“I think that Sakura’s weird second personality  _ should _ kill him,” Sai said calmly, tilting his head, “Sasuke is a criminal and he tried to kill you. He’s too dangerous to be kept alive,”

 

Naru turned and glared at him. “No one is killing Sasuke!” She tried to get to her feet but yelped as she put weight on her legs, falling forward. Sai got up and caught her. 

 

“Well, obviously not right now,” Sai said, giving Naru a blank look. “He’s not here,” Naru frowned and tried to stand on her own, but her legs gave out and she almost fell again. Sai caught her, and tilted his head. “I don’t understand why you keep trying to stand on your own. Isn’t it obvious at this point that you won’t be able to?”

 

“Shut up,”

 

Sai ducked under her arm and shot her a look that was… almost a smile. “I’m going to help you, okay?” She grimaced. Yamato strode over and frowned. 

 

“So… although the mission wasn’t a success, apparently one of you took out Kabuto,”

 

“Naru-san snapped his neck,” Sai said calmly. Naru just grimaced again. Yamato crossed his arms.

 

“And… where is his corpse?”

 

“I wasn’t about to lug him around with me, was I?” Naru growled as Sai helped her back into the tunnel of the hideout. Yamato sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“So you left him… to be found by Orochimaru… A man who knows the  _ resurrection  _ jutsu?”

 

Naru whipped her head around to stare at Yamato for a moment, then swore loudly. Ibara shrugged.

 

“Eh, at least you got to snap his neck in the first place, whatever weird voodoo shit the creep does to his corpse afterward,”

 

“All I’m saying is that it would have been convenient if you’d taken him prisoner, you know, in order to get information out of him, instead of snapping his neck and leaving his corpse there so that he can come back to us with a grudge against teenage demon hosts,” 

 

Naru threw up the hand that wasn’t hooked around Sai’s shoulders. “I don’t know what you want me to say, no one ever accused me of being a genius,”

 

“It really would be crazy if they had,” Sai said, “Can you imagine someone being that deluded? I can’t,”

 

Naru let out a watery laugh, and Ibara ducked under her other arm, reaching up and wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Naru looked at her and offered her a weak smile. Ibara smiled back.

 

“Let’s get you home,” She said in a low voice, “I bet Kiba, Hinata-chan and Shino all can’t wait to catch up with you. They should be back from their mission by now, you know,”

 

“Yeah,” Naru said, looking down as the fabric of her trousers tugged painfully on her healing wounds. Ibara shifted closer into Naru’s side and chewed the inside of her cheek.

 

“I can… I can hit Shikamaru if you want,”

 

Naru winced, watching as a shred of fabric ripped away at a clump of drying blood. “Why would I want you to do that?” She asked, trying to quash the pain in her chest. Ibara shrugged again.

 

“Could be funny,” She said. Naru shook her head.

 

“People getting hit isn’t funny anymore,” She said, “I’m sick of pain,”

 

Sai blinked at her. Ibara wrapped her arm around Naru’s waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Okay. Well, in that case, how about ramen?”

 

“Ramen,” Naru grunted as they climbed up the steps and out of the lair, “sounds great,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: February, Beach Bunny
> 
> Ibara: Ocean Eyes, Billie Eilish
> 
> Sai: Lotus Eater, Mura Masa


	44. Sai, S A D. (heartburn?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sai thinks a bunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

Sai had noticed a drastic change in Naru’s behaviour toward him since their mission. She waved and grinned when she saw him. (She saw him a lot. Turns out her ability to detect people in hiding was incredible.) He was trying to find out more about her, about how she interacted with people. She was still- as her file had stated- disliked and avoided by most of the citizens of Konoha, but the chunin from her graduating class and their teachers had all become exceedingly fond of her. She could hardly go anywhere without Tenten grabbing her wrist and excitedly asking her to spar or Choji inviting her to go and get barbecue.

 

Even stranger was the behaviour of Shikamaru Nara and Neji Hyuuga. Sai was perched in a tree when he noticed the former. He lingered in a doorway and watched her, seemingly hesitant to go and start a conversation. She was talking animatedly to a vendor at a fruit stand, laughing and asking questions. The fruit stand vendor, had, at first, been wary of Naru, but after a few minutes, she relaxed and began replying more animatedly. 

 

Shikamaru stepped out, and approached Naru as she paid. She didn’t look at all surprised when she looked up and saw him standing there, his hands in his pockets, a strange expression on his face. She’d reached into the brown paper bag, pulled out a pear, and handed it to him. He took it and started speaking, but she had only reached up and patted the side of his face before walking away. Shikamaru had leaned heavily against the wall and groaned so loudly that even Sai, from his hiding place, started.

 

Neji, however, met a different reception after he awkwardly lingered before finally approaching Naru. She had looked up after a few minutes and when she saw him, she grinned and ran at him, pulling him into a hug that he seemed slightly… overwhelmed by. Sai frowned. It was an odd expression. It was far from unhappy, but also didn’t look like what  _ he’d _ thought a person who was being hugged should look like.

 

Naru had hugged him before, and although it wasn’t really  _ pleasant _ , even he hadn’t looked so uncomfortable. It was as though Neji was telling a lie, but he wasn’t speaking. In fact, he was listening intently to whatever meaningless garbage Naru had decided to spew at him. 

 

They’d talked for longer than Sai could linger. He had to go and speak to Danzo. While he left, he noticed Naru look over at him and wave happily. Neji was also unsurprised by Sai when he looked around at him. 

 

He was beginning to think that he may need to work on his stealth more. 

 

And all of this sneaking around had led him to this particular moment. Standing at the door to the Hokage’s office beside Sakura and Naru, and feeling, oddly, that he belonged there. Even though Naru was looking very impatient, and Sakura was shooting her looks that clearly said  _ ‘be patient,’ _ . He’d been reading all about human interaction, trying to figure out what feelings were which emotions. He was shocked to find that emotions were almost physical. When Naru smiled so wide her eyes squeezed shut, he felt as though something was tightening in his chest. When she suddenly greeted ‘Ibara’ in the middle of a conversation, he felt as though his stomach was twisting up into knots. Apparently those physical feelings were ‘Happiness’ and ‘Anxiety’ respectively. He liked feeling both of them. They made him feel a rush as though he’d stuck a fork in a plug socket. Something that seemed like ‘Excitement’. 

 

When Sakura sprinted up suddenly behind Naru and picked her up off the ground, swinging her around while they both laughed until they were breathless, and his chest felt hollow, like if he knocked on it there would be an echo… that was a feeling he didn’t like at all.

 

So when they were finally let into the Hokage’s office, and Lady Tsunade informed them that they were going on another mission under a different Jonin, a man named Asuma, whose file Sai hadn’t bothered to read, he was surprised to find that feeling beginning to creep up.

 

“Asuma-Sensei?” Naru asked, an edge of poorly expressed excitement in her voice, “Does that mean that Shika-ku- Shikamaru-san is coming too?”

 

Tsunade paused, and the strange hollow feeling in Sai’s chest magnified. “No, Shikamaru is staying here. The Chunin exams are drawing closer, and he’s needed in the village,”

 

Naru’s face fell. “Oh,” she said, “That’s cool,”

 

“Mm,” Tsunade said, pursing her lips. She turned to Sakura. “Keep these idiots under control. I’m counting on you,”

 

Sakura did a little bow and nodded. “Yes, Tsunade-sama,” 

 

They were all debriefed on the objective of the mission, (Some petty graverobbers a half a day’s journey away, they were to go to a temple in order to get up to date intel before pursuing the criminals) and there was a recap on “ _ the kind of behaviour expected of Konoha shinobi _ .” A speech given directly to Naru, who was picking absentmindedly at a hangnail and staring blankly at a place somewhere up and to the left of the Hokage’s head. After that they were dismissed.

 

“I’m sorry that Shikamaru-san won’t be coming on this mission with us,” Sai said to Naru, who gave him a look of complete shock. 

 

“Why be sorry about that? I don’t want him on the mission with us,” 

 

“... Have I misread something?”

 

“I have to go pack,” Naru said, stomping down the hallway. Halfway down it she swore and turned to look at Sakura desperately. “Are your parents home?”

 

Sakura sighed. “Yeah. You need to do your laundry again?”

 

Naru nodded fervently. Sakura made a flicking motion with her wrist. “Go get your stuff and climb in my window. I’ll do your laundry if they’re in the house,”

 

Naru gave her a smile and turned, stomping away. Sai frowned.

 

“Why does she need to go to your house to do laundry?”

 

“Shikamaru-san still has her keys,”

 

“Why doesn’t she get them back from him?”

 

Sakura sighed again and ran her hand through her hair. “Because she won’t talk to him,”

 

Sai blinked. “Why not?”

 

Sakura looked up at him in surprise. “He has a girlfriend. And she’s in love with Sasuke. But she likes him, even if she doesn’t realise it. And he likes her, a lot. And he knows he likes her. And that’s a pretty big problem for everyone involved. Plus she’s pretty pissed at him for snubbing her when she first came home,”

 

“So he’s been trying to approach her in order to… explain why he snubbed her?” 

 

“Uh, yeah, and I think he wants to explain his thing with Temari-san, but to be honest it’d all go over Naru’s head, you know, cause she doesn’t realise what’s going on with her own feelings. It’d be like explaining clouds to a fish,”

 

“I… I don’t understand,”

 

Sakura’s mouth twitched into a smile. She reached up and patted Sai’s shoulder. “Welcome to the club,”

 

Sai nodded. He glanced at her. “Do you like Naru-san?”

 

Sakura’s face went pink. “She’s my best friend!”

 

“I read that when someone answers your question like that it’s because they’re avoiding something,”

 

“You read that, huh?” 

 

“Yeah. So you like her the way Shikamaru-san likes her?”

 

“Do you like your face in one piece?”

 

“...Yes,”

 

“Then stop asking questions and go pack,”

 

Sai nodded and turned away, walking back toward his house. He glanced over his shoulder at Sakura, who was looking up at the sky and frowning slightly. 

 

He felt like he figured more out in that moment than in her entire explanation of Shikamaru and Naru’s problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sai: 505, Arctic Monkeys
> 
> Sakura: Lotto in Reverse, Alex Lahey 
> 
> Naru: Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue), Hozier


	45. Naru, Useless Filler Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I worked a long day today and i’m sorry this turned out the way it did

Naru was laying on the floor of Sakura’s room, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Sasuke, Shikamaru, and her keys. Lost to her. She’d pulled the bracelet Shikamaru had made her out of her shirt, and the Cassia Horse was resting on her lips. She felt as though something was missing. She heard Sakura’s even footsteps approaching and quickly tucked the necklace away. 

 

Sakura came through the door, holding a laundry basket and plopping it down on the floor, sitting next to it and beckoning Naru closer. Naru sat up and pulled at the first pair of orange trousers she saw. There was a large slash across one of the thighs, and it was badly stained with blood and oil. She sighed.

 

“Didn’t come out, huh?”

 

“Naru, you can’t give me two month old stains and expect me to be able to get them out. You need new trousers,”

 

Naru pouted and looked down at her borrowed pyjama bottoms. “I don’t want to buy new trousers,”

 

“Last time I gave you trousers you wore them for a month and then had an orange pair made. I’m not giving you another pair,”

 

“You don’t have any sweatpants that aren’t bloody and cut up?”

 

“I don’t wear sweatpants, Naru,” Sakura said, neatly folding another turtleneck tank top. 

 

Naru pulled out a pair of tight black shorts and frowned at them. “Did you mix our laundry together?”

 

“Yes,” Sakura said, snatching the tights and folding them quickly, “In case my parents looked at it. If it was a bunch of orange sweats they’d know it was yours again,” 

 

Naru sighed, remembering the week before, when she’d had to hide under Sakura’s bed while Sakura’s father stormed around looking for evidence of a ‘boyfriend’ that Sakura was swearing up and down she didn’t have. Naru knew it would be infinitely worse for Sakura if her father found that instead of a ‘boyfriend’, he found  _ her, _ in his daughters clothes, in his daughter’s bedroom without his knowledge. 

 

**_WE’RE AN INFECTION THAT THEY’D LIKE TO CURE. YOUR LITTLE PINK HAIRED FRIEND’S LITTLE PINK HAIRED FATHER WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU AND I DISAPPEARED FROM HER LIFE ENTIRELY._ **

 

_ Are you in her life? _

 

**_I LAY BENEATH YOUR SKIN, SHE HAS SEEN ME._ **

 

“I’m not folding all of these for you,” Sakura said, tossing another black tank on the pile of Naru’s black tanks. “What’re you going all misty eyed about? Thinking about lunch?”

 

Naru pulled a pair of orange sweats that she’d had to cut off after one of the legs caught on fire and sighed. “I have to go buy some new trousers, huh?”

 

Sakura let out a little exasperated laugh. “Yeah, you do. It’s okay though, look,” She pulled out a pair of running tights that had faded out to a dark gray and handed then to Naru. “These don’t really fit me anymore. You can have them. You look good in all black, and they’ll do until you can have more hideous neon ones made,”

 

“Thanks, Sakura, thanks a bunch,” Naru said, taking the trousers and holding them up. “I’m going to look like a tool dressed head to toe in black,”

 

“Gaara-san used to wear all black, and you thought he looked cool,”

 

“Mmm, I’m not Gaa-chan, and he wears colour now,” She stiff and changed into the leggings anyway, frowning at how tight they were. Sakura smiled. 

 

“you look great,”

 

“No spiked bracelets this time,” Naru said, pointing her finger at Sakura, who laughed.

 

“Oh, gods, you remember that spiked bracelet I made you wear?”

 

“I could never forget. I still can’t believe you put that thing on me,” Naru said, flopping back to the ground and stuffing things into her bag. Sakura grinned and did the same with hers. 

 

When they were done, Naru turned and peeked out of the window, checking the coast was clear before throwing it open and pulling her bag over her shoulder. She climbed out onto the wall, and leaned back over the ledge, smiling at her friend. “Meet you at the gates in ten?”

 

Sakura walked over to the window and leaned on the sill. Naru braced herself around it, like she used to when they were younger, and grinned at her. Sakura smiled. “Okay, in ten,” She said, reaching out and adjusting Naru’s headband. Naru grinned.

 

“One more fire jutsu and I’ll be bald,” She laughed, shifting more chakra into one hand and running the other over the back of her freshly buzzed hair, “not like I had much to start with, but damn, I can’t keep the hair on my head,”

 

“It grows fast,” Sakura said, bringing both arms to rest on the sill, “By the time the Chunin exams are over you’ll need a trim again,”

 

“I was considering growing it out. I could do a mullet, you know, like The Sage,”

 

“Please, dear god, do not take any more leaves out of that man’s book,” Sakura groaned, “How you remained tolerable even after spending three years with him…”

 

“He ain’t that bad,” Naru said, shrugging, “even more so now. He’s never gonna be an upstanding citizen, but like, there are worse people in this world than guys who are old perverts. And he’s stopped spying. Now he just gets drinks thrown in his face,”

 

“Hmm… doesn’t mean I want you emulating his awful hair,” Sakura said, “I like your hair the way it was before you burned it. It looks good a little longer,”

 

Naru nodded. “Okay, I’ll let it do its own thing. See you in ten,”

 

“Seven, now,”

 

“See you in seven,” Naru said, winking and leaping down from her place on the wall. She waved and scampered off toward the grocery store, leaving Sakura leaning out of her window and looking thoughtful.

 

**_YOU'RE VERY DENSE._ **

 

_ What did I miss? _

 

**_WHAT DIDN’T YOU. UGH. JUST START THE MISSION, KIT._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Good Grief, Bastille
> 
> Sakura: Flaws, Bastille


	46. Sakura, The Demon In The Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura thinks through the beginning of their mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this arcccc

Sakura could tell that Asuma was still kind of creeped out by Sai. Sai kept asking him weird questions about his life. His relationship with Kurenai came up more than once, and how he felt about his nephew Konohamaru, and each of his students. Asuma was eyeing him like he suspected him of something, but Sai seemed entirely oblivious, pressing on with lines of questioning better left abandoned. Sakura was trying hard to ignore the look that came over Naru’s face when the subject of Shikamaru arose. She didn’t want to think about it. 

 

Luckily, by the time Sai finally got around to the subject of Shikamaru, the main gates of the fire temple were in view, and ‘main gates’ they were. Massive heavy metal doors guarded by a watchtower on either side. Asuma called up to one of them. 

 

“Konoha Nin, Here to help,” He declared, like he’d done it a hundred times. Sakura realised he probably had.

 

“Are you Asuma Sarutobi of the Guardian Twelve?” The monk in the watchtower asked shrewdly. Asuma nodded.

 

“That’s me,” He said calmly, a small smile played his lips as the monk nodded and gestured to someone further into the temple and the gates swung open.

 

Asuma and Naru both strode forward immediately, but Sakura hesitated, looking around for a moment. Sai paused too. They seemed to be walking in on some sort of training exercise. Dozens of monks were in the courtyard, performing some kind of synchronised posturing that put Sakura in mind of some of the taijutsu drills she’d read about. Naru seemed enthralled by it, and Asuma was looking around as though he was searching for something specific. Naru made to go and interrupt the training monks at the same time someone called out to Asuma, and Asuma’s hand snapped out and caught the back of Naru’s tank top, dragging her back into place beside him as he greeted the man striding toward him. Sakura walked forward, unable to stop herself from smiling.

 

_ Someone warned him about her. Wonder if it was Kakashi. _

 

**_Or darling dearest Shikamaru. Bet you he had a lot to say when he found out the walking chimney was supervising our mission._ **

 

_ Mm. Maybe. It would explain a little about why Asuma still has Naru in a death grip, if it was Shikamaru who warned him.  _

 

“Well, if it isn’t Asuma Sarutobi,” A tall, thin monk drawled, walking slowly and obviously holding back a smile. He had a sash like Asuma’s around his waist. Asuma smiled and held his arms wide, briefly letting go of Naru. She immediately turned to look at Sakura and Sai, then back at the monks, still doing their drills. She had that look on her face she always used to get right before she ruined something just for the sake of it. It was in the way her eyes seemed to intensify and her mouth twitched up into an almost smirk. Like a fox eyeing a chicken coup. Sakura bit the inside of her lip and turned back to Asuma and the monk just as Asuma called out.

 

“Chiriku! It’s been a while,”

 

“Too long, old friend,” The man, Chiriku, said, hugging Asuma and standing back, taking him in. “I was sorry to hear of your father,”

 

“I was too, but you remember the old man. He wouldn’t have wanted to go out any other way. Fighting had to be it, right?”

 

“It’s not easy to lose a loved one,” Chiriku said sagely. Asuma offered him a wry smile as he caught the back of Naru’s tank top again without looking and pulled her back just as she made to break toward the training monks again. 

 

“Not easy to live with them either. But, anyway, let the dead rest, right?” 

 

Chiriku nodded and turned his gaze on Naru, who was pouting, her muscular arms crossed over her chest and her face scars thrown into relief by the bright sunlight. His mouth drew into a thin line. Sakura tensed. That was the look of a man who knew what Naru was, and didn’t like it. 

 

“Sora-san!” He called suddenly. Everyone in the courtyard froze and looked around. One of the only people there who hadn’t shaved their heads, a teenage boy with gray-black hair cut into a smooth bob and who was likely only an inch or two taller than Sakura, stepped out of the midst of the other monks. They drew back from him, as though he carried some sort of illness that they might catch. Sakura’s heart found its way to her throat. They looked at him like…

 

Like he was Naru.

 

Naru turned and eyed the boy. He looked her up and down and frowned disapprovingly. Chiriku pointed between the two of them. “Sora-san, please show this team around while I speak to Asuma-san,”

 

Sora looked up at Chiriku like he’d like to say something scathing, but couldn’t, and nodded. “Yes, sir,”

 

“We’ll have a complete debriefing in an hour,” Asuma said, looking over the three of them then looking directly Naru and pointing at her. “And you behave yourself,” 

 

“Never in my life have I  _ ever _ behaved myself and I’m not starting  _ now _ ,” Naru said calmly, looking back toward the practicing monks like she wanted to do something disruptive. Asuma shook his head.

 

“We’re in a  _ monastery _ , Naru-kun,”

 

“All the more reason to shake things up,” She waved him off, “I won’t do anything drastic, calm down,”

 

Asuma shook his head and looked at Sakura. “Please keep her from behaving like she was raised by wolves,”

 

“She wasn’t raised at all,” Sakura pointed out, “But I’ll try,”

 

Asuma sighed and followed Chiriku away, looking serious as they began speaking to one another. Sora turned to Naru again, even as she sank down a little like she was planning on pouncing at something. 

 

“Why do you look like someone lit you on fire?” He asked with an edge of contempt that made Ibara shift ominously in Sakura’s head. Naru didn’t look at him as she and both her teammates responded at once.

 

“Cause I’m hot,”

 

“That’s a rude thing to say,” Sakura snapped, just as Sai tilted his head and said, “Because she recently burned all her hair off,”

 

Sora looked around at them all, then turned on his heel and began walking away. Sakura frowned, and grasped Naru’s wrist, dragging her behind Sai as they all followed after the boy for a tour of the temple that none of them were interested in participating in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura: I Want U, Alex Lahey
> 
> Naru: Where Did The Party Go, Fall out Boy
> 
> Sai: Fire and the Thud, Arctic Monkeys
> 
> Asuma: Save Rock And Roll, Fall Out Boy
> 
> Sora: Fire, Barns Courtney


	47. Naru, When Your Back Is Turned (Abomination)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru gets into a fight because thats what a Naru does

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurama is not happy about dollar store, walmart lookin ass knockoffs

Naru wanted, more than anything at that moment, to go and bother the monks training training in the main courtyard. She wanted to know what they were doing, why they were doing it, and how it helped them. Sadly, instead, she was following a moody boy around an old temple while he huffed about them being there and his ‘getting stuck with them,’

 

**_STAB HIM._ **

 

“Ah, if it bugs you so much then we can all go back and watch you dance,” Naru said, falling into step beside him and offering him a crooked grin. Sakura groaned, and Sora glared at her.

 

“We aren’t  _ dancing _ , but of course, you wouldn’t know about any training more subtle than weights and weapons sparring,”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Naru asked, feeling an argument coming on and welcoming it. This boy reminded her a little of Sasuke, and she’d love to shout at him. He stopped, and she did too. 

 

**_KIT! STAB HIM!_ **

 

“Well you obviously spend more time bulking than actually practicing anything of worth,” He sneered. Naru cocked an eyebrow.

 

“Oh, my bulk comes in handy. If you wanted to...” She stepped closer, narrowing her eyes and letting a smile play across her lips, “You could find out just  _ how _ handy,”

 

Sora didn’t shy away. He was little taller than she was, but she was broader than him and probably outweighed him by at least twenty pounds. Most people would have been intimidated. 

 

“Is that a challenge?” He snarled, looking down his nose at her. Her smile spread into an eager grin. 

 

“‘Course it is,” She said, “why don’t we take this tour outside?”

 

**_SO THAT YOU CAN STAB HIM!_ **

 

“My pleasure,” Sora said, suddenly turning and storming down the hallway, out the first door and leading them into the courtyard. Sakura caught Naru’s wrist as she made to square up with him again. 

 

“Naru,” She hissed, “You’re supposed to be behaving yourself,”

 

Naru turned to Sakura and smiled as sweetly as she could, taking the girls hand off her wrist gently. She gave it a quick squeeze. “I’m not gonna hurt him. Just toss him around a little,”

 

Sai leaned out from behind Sakura, looking directly at Naru’s face. “He’s supposed to be our ally,”

 

“He’d do well to act like it,” She shot back, before turning and walking up to Sora. She nodded at him and hooked her fingers into her vambraces, pulling out her long kunai and discarding them off to the side.

 

**_NO! YOU NEED THOSE TO STAB HIM!_ **

 

Sora frowned, but reached up into one of his sleeves, unfastening a strange, three clawed weapon and setting it down too.

 

“How about first blood?” Naru suggested, feeling her face split into a grin. She felt Kurama shifting restlessly, and turned her thoughts inward for a second.

 

_ What’s wrong with you today? You’re acting weird. You don’t normally have it out for people this quickly. _

 

**_THAT ABOMINATION NEEDS TO DIE._ **

 

Naru looked at Sora, with his smooth hair and the hate in his eyes.  _ He’s not an abomination, he’s just some shitty kid. _

 

**_DON’T YOU FEEL IT?_ **

 

But then Sora stepped forward and swung at her. She ducked easily, and she could tell he was too accustomed to having a weapon by the amount of weight he put behind his blows.  _ He’s not a taijutsu user, then. _

 

Naru shortstepped, blocked another one of his blows easily, and, still holding a grip on his forearm, twisted him around so that his back was to her. She deftly knocked his legs out from under him, forcing him to fall his knees, then, twisting his arm further, forced him to lie on his stomach on the ground. He grunted and kicked out, his foot hitting her thigh, but she didn’t let go. Instead, she bit her free thumb, and wiped the blood across his cheekbone. 

 

“And that's first blood. Worthless bulk my ass,” She said, letting him go, “I could crush you like a soda can,”

 

She got to her feet, and turned to pick up her kunai when she heard Sakura begin to yell.

 

**_THE ABOMINATION IS ATTACKING AGAIN._ **

 

She snatched up a knife and blocked Sora’s claws as he made to bring them down on her back. Naru narrowed her eyes. Sora looked furious, eyes bright and wide as his lips curled into a snarl, his chest heaving, her blood smeared across one cheekbone. She reached up and grabbed his wrist, squeezing down hard enough that she knew his bone would bruise, and snarled.

 

“Attacking someone while their back is turned is bad enough,” She spat, yanking the claw down and away from her as she stepped up into his face, “But attacking an ally after they won a sparring match? are you a child? An angry toddler lashing out because you lost a game? And Asuma-sensei said I behave like I was raised by wolves,” She shoved Sora back, looking him up and down.  _ No, _ she thought,  _ He’s nothing like Sasuke after all. _

 

**_AND HERE COMES YOUR FAVOURITE WEAKLING’S TEACHER AND HIS PIOUS FRIEND. THEY LIKELY SAW ALL OF THAT._ **

 

Naru turned and faced Asuma and Chiriku, both of whom looked furious. She shot them a guilty smile. “Hey… What’s poppin’?”

 

“Get inside. Now,” Asuma spat, pointing at the door they’d come out into the courtyard through. Naru sheathed her knives back in her vambraces and scrambled back to it, followed closely by Sakura and Sai. They waited for Asuma to come in, and then he lead them down the hall. Naru looked around to see where Sora was, but he and Chiriku weren’t following yet. Asuma gestured them through another door, and Naru slunk in. He shut the door firmly behind himself and glared at her. “Everyone told me,” He said, lighting a cigarette with an angry look on his face, “‘ _ watch out for Naru, she acts like an idiot,’  _ and ‘ _ Naru’ll be really impulsive, don’t let her get herself hurt,’  _ But there I was,” He took a long drag and made a sweeping gesture, flicking ash on the floor and pulling a face, “thinking, ‘ _ It can’t be that bad… Naru isn’t completely stupid, she just operates a little different,’ _ And you,” He jabbed at her with his still lit cigarette, “Just go and prove me wrong, first thing,”

 

Naru crossed her arms, frowning at him. “Who told you I’d get myself hurt? I know Kakashi-sensei said I’d do some dumb shit, but who told you I was an impulsive toddler?”

 

Asuma narrowed his eyes at her. She squinted right back.

 

**_YOU KNOW THAT IT WAS YOUR WEAKLING. WHY BOTHER ASKING? WHAT, DO YOU THINK THAT IT WAS THE BLONDE KNIGHT? OR THE ROUND ONE THAT LAUGHS? DON’T BE DENSE._ **

 

_ You are way talkative today. What’s up with you? _

 

“It was Shikamaru-kun,” Asuma said, popping his cigarette back into his mouth and taking a drag. He seemed as though he wanted to say something else to her, but Naru just shook her head. 

 

“Well then you should have known better than to doubt him, shouldn’t you, Asuma-sensei, sir?” She leaned against the wall and stared him down. “We all know that Shikamaru-san is right about everything,”

 

Asuma just took another long drag of his cigarette, considering her. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Maybe he is,”

 

The door creaked open. Chiriku stood there with Sora in tow, still looking angry enough to breathe fire. 

 

“Let’s get down to discussing the plan for tonight, then,” He snapped, gesturing for Sora to go and stand beside the other teenagers. Naru shot him a dirty look before turning to listen to the two men in front of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Satan Is My Motor, Cake (per the usual)
> 
> Kurama: daphne did it, cleopatrick (seriously listen to this s o n g its so dope)
> 
> Sora: Young Lady, You're Scaring Me, Ron Gallo
> 
> Asuma: Lion's Teeth, The Mountain Goats


	48. Sai, How To Be Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sai grows as a person. He grows like a damn cactus or whatever, but he grows all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sai. This ain’t it chief.

They had split up into three teams. Sora and Sakura, Asuma and Chiriku, and Sai and Naru. A long distance and close range fighter for each pair. Asuma and Chiriku were to go and intercept the grave robbers at the most likely location they’d appear. The other two teams were to guard the other graves, just in case they had guessed incorrectly.

 

So as a result, Naru and Sai were seated outside of a tomb, on either side of the entrance. Bats were fluttering overhead, catching flies and occasionally diving a little too close, it seemed, for Naru’s comfort. 

 

Suddenly, Naru squeaked and scrambled away from her side of the entrance. Sai leaned forward to look at the place she was staring at with a horrified look on her face.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“N-nothing,” She said, activating her rasengan and smashing the base of the stone pillar away, toppling it. Sai tilted his head.

 

“Isn’t that a little disrespectful?”

 

Naru turned and squinted at him. “I’m sure whoever is buried here would understand,” 

 

Sai hummed. “ _ I _ don’t understand, and I’m not the person whose grave you’re desecrating,”

 

Naru frowned. She fidgeted. She looked uncomfortable. Eventually, she took a deep breath. “There was a spider,” she hissed.

 

Sai pulled his bag toward him and pulled out his book. He rifled through it to the section on fear.

 

_ When a friend is feeling scared or nervous, it is a good idea to place your arm around their shoulders and show them some tenderness. _

 

Sai hummed.  _ Show them some tenderness… _ Naru was looking around her carefully, facing away from Sai. He scooted a little closer and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tight to his side. She squeaked and jumped as he did it, meaning that she almost knocked him over entirely. He could feel her tense up.  _ Okay, that’s the arm around the shoulder, now… what qualifies as tenderness? _

 

Naru turned her face and looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. He took a deep breath and turned to face her. 

 

They were barely an inch apart. Naru’s eyes almost crossed trying to maintain eye contact with him. He hesitated for a moment, considering the instances he’d read about where people were distressed. Most of the time, they spoke to each other calmly. Sai could speak calmly, but often all that his words yielded was someone getting angry. That wouldn’t work. In many cases, the main character of a book had kissed the other person.

 

Their faces were very close. It would be easy to do this. Sai brought his hand to the side of Naru’s face and stooped down, quickly pressing his lips to hers. Naru leaned back a little, to get a better look at his face. 

 

“Did you… did you mean to do that?” She asked. Sai blinked. 

 

“... yes?” Sai said nervously. Naru’s face fell into an expression of shock. 

 

“Why would you wanna do something like that?” 

 

Sai hesitated. “Was… was that wrong?”

 

“That depends on what exactly were you trying to do,”

 

“Be comforting. Friends comfort each other when they notice their friends are scared, right?”

 

Naru looked out over the path leading to the memorial they were guarding. “Yeah, they, like, comfort each other, but… probably mostly, like, not like that? The arm thing is fine and stuff but… like… maybe… tell a joke or something, instead of, you know, going straight to the mouth-to-mouth… form of… comfort?”

 

“I don’t know any jokes,” Sai pointed out. Naru laughed a little, under her breath. 

 

“Ah… uh… here, I’ll tell you one,” She paused for a moment, thinking hard. “Why don’t jonin watch sad movies?”

 

Sai paused and thought for a moment. “Because their time is consumed mainly by important missions?”

 

Naru shook her head. “No, because they’re too sensei-tive,” 

 

Sai paused for a moment. “Because… they teach… I understand,”

 

Naru bit her lips together, like she was trying not to laugh. Sai looked down at her, and felt that pressure in his chest build as he watched Naru struggle against her own joke. Eventually she broke, letting out a cackle and leaning back into his arm. Sai let the pressure in his chest go, and felt himself start to laugh too. The joke was terrible, and he knew that he didn’t really think that that was funny, but the fact that Naru did was… very very funny.  _ Hilarious  _ even.

 

The amount of time they spent giggling was probably more than was really justified, even more so considering that nothing funny had actually happened, but when the laughing finally subsided, Sai took his arm off of Naru’s shoulders, and she leaned forward, hugging her legs to her. She shot him a glance, an expression he hadn’t seen on her face before. It was the same look that he’d seen on Asuma and Shikamaru. Awkward. Naru was feeling awkward. 

 

“You seem uncomfortable,” He said, tilting his head. “Why is that?”

 

“Nothing. I was just thinking about something kind of silly,”

 

“What is it? Another joke?”

 

Naru pursed her lips and ran her hands through her heat damaged hair, her eyes settling on her toes as she moved them, curling them against the soles of her sandals. “In a way, but it’s not a funny one,”

 

“... Do you know any funny ones?” Sai asked. Naru let out a snort and looked up at him as though to answer, but there was a loud crack from behind them, and they both shot to their feet and turned to face the noise. Naru charged forward as Sai fell back, unfurling a scroll in front of him. A man came bursting forth from the tomb, standing atop a marble casket, using some strange earth style technique that Sai has never seen before to propel it forward. He was dressed like some kind of monk, and carrying a staff as one would, but the look in his eyes was far from holy. It was wild, fevered, deranged.

 

Naru hunkered down and caught the front end of the casket, straining against it, slowing it, her feet cracking the earth as she let out a grunt. The man looked down at her, amused, an eyebrow twitching upward.

 

“A konoha nin, hm?”

 

“No I’m a goddamn-“ she grunted, her muscles rippling as she forced the casket to a halt, her face growing a little red, “Unicorn. The fuck I look like? Where do you get off on stealing bodies, eh?” She spat, forcing one leg forward and pushing the casket back through the massive wall of stones and earth gathering behind it. The man’s lips quirked upward, and he tilted his head, and he raised his staff, levelling it toward Naru and prodding her shoulder with the end of it. Sai began scrawling snakes across the scroll and summoned them from the paper, sending them slithering toward the stranger.

 

“You’re strong, boy,” He commented, amused, “It’s a shame, really, that you’re so stupid,” He took his staff from Naru’s shoulder and batted away Sai’s snakes with ease, sending ink spraying across Naru and the casket.

 

“Whatcha talkin’ ‘bout?” Naru grit out, “My dumbassery is…” She shoves the casket back again, dirt and rocks thudding onto it as the man’s wave of earth rose higher. “charming,”

 

“Not quite,” The man laughed, and Naru was suddenly knocked back by a wall of rock that the fake monk rode the swell of earth over. She hissed in pain as she held her arm where it had first struck. Sai looked over his shoulder at the man.  _ I could likely capture him if I were to pursue now. _

 

But Naru sounded pained as she sat up and swore, clutching her forearm, her eyes squeezed shut, and Sai turned to her and kneeled.

 

“Is it broken?” He asked. She shook her head.

 

“What are you doing? Go get the bastard,”

 

Sai reached forward and caught her hand, pulling it from her injured arm gently and looking at the damage. It wasn’t broken. It was shattered. A long, thin bone shard was protruding halfway up. Even with her fast healing abilities, she needed to have it set. “No,” He said firmly, “First I have to help you,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sai: Lost In The Post, The Wombats
> 
> Naru: Perth Traumatic Stress Disorder, Alex Lahey


	49. Naru, Makeshift Surgery, Are You My Friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru is back on her shit testing how good that healing factor is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sai is just a lil baby tryna figure out how to be a person

Naru bit back a yell as Sai opened her arm up and nudged her bones back into place, the antiseptic on his hands stinging, and tears and sweat streaming down her face. Kurama thrashed in her stomach. 

 

**_IF YOU LET ME TAKE CONTROL OF THE BODY I CAN FIX IT._ **

 

_ Shut up shut up-  _ “Shut up shutupshut the Fuck UP!” She bellowed. Sai didn’t flinch or draw back as he slid the longest shard of bone back into place and pulled the cut closed again, tearing the sleeve off of his jacket and drenching it in antiseptic as well. 

 

“I’m not going to suture it because when we are back with Sakura-san she will likely want to examine-”

 

Naru grunted and shook her head. “Don’t worry, if the bones are pretty much where they should be Kurama can do the rest. I could have waited. You should have gone after our casket surfer,” She flinched as he tightened the makeshift bandage. “Now we’ve lost him,” Sai’s mouth twitched up into a small, sneaky smile.

 

“You really thought I just sat there while you were holding back that guy?”

 

Naru gaped up at him. “You did the snakes and stuff,”

 

“He’s being tailed by a couple of my mice. We can fly after him in a minute, but I think you should see Sakura-san first,”

 

Naru blinked, then smiled. “No need, Kurama’s got my back on the healing. Let’s get on after that asshole,”

 

Sai held out his hand and fished in his bag for a moment. He pulled out a handful of soldier pills and held them out to her. “Here, first eat these,”

 

Naru frowned and took them, throwing them all in her mouth and swallowing them whole. “Can we fight now?” she snapped. 

 

Sai unfurled a scroll, “You aren’t fighting until ‘Kurama’ heals you. _ I _ can fight now,” He quickly scrawled an eagle across the page and summoned it, helping Naru up onto its back and then getting on behind her. The eagle took off, and Naru flattened herself against it, swearing profusely. 

 

It could be a combination of blood loss, her insanely sore muscles, and the feeling of Kurama trying to cram her bones back into place, but Naru quickly decided that she hated flying. She pressed her face into the drawn feathers of Sai’s bird and let out a long, low groan. Sai patted her back lightly.

 

“Do you normally suffer from motion sickness?”

 

“I normally don’t suffer from anything but my own stupidity,” She spat, resting her cheek on the bird and trying to look at Sai. His expression was its usual perfect blank mask as the eagle seemed to track the mouse, or whatever Sai had said he’d planted on the monk. “Why are you acting like this?”

 

“Like what?” 

 

Naru pushed herself up on her trembling good arm and frowned at him. “You’re being nice,”

 

Sai looked at her, surprised. “Friends are supposed to be nice to each other,”

 

Naru felt her frown deepen. “Yeah sure, but why do you wanna be my friend? When did you make this decision? It’s weird considering how much you seemed to hate me two weeks ago,”

 

Sai looked at her, his face still blank but his eyes moving over her face carefully. He seemed like he was weighing his words carefully. “I never hated you. I just felt nothing toward you at all, and you aren’t accustomed to people who don’t either love you or want you dead, so anything short of the adoration you experience from most of your friends and mentors  _ feels _ like hatred to you,”

 

Naru felt a little nauseous, and wasn’t sure if it was because of what he was saying or if it was because she was in agony. “Okay, so what changed?”

 

“I want to be your friend, and I want to feel emotions. You feel nothing  _ but _ emotions, so, naturally, I should look to you as an example of what feelings are,”

 

Naru took a deep breath. “What do you feel if you don’t feel emotions?” 

 

Sai shrugged. “Nothing. Empty. Hollow. I hate it, now that I’ve felt other stuff, I hate when I get empty now,”

 

“When do you feel empty?” 

 

A little crease appeared between Sai’s eyebrows. “I read that sometimes it’s better to lie,” 

 

Naru shrugged. “You don’t have to tell me, but it better to just say ‘I feel uncomfortable talking about that’ than to lie,” She felt curiousity burn in her chest as Sai seemed to mull this over.

 

“I feel empty when you’re not around. Sakura is good too, but sometimes I still feel empty around her. You’re always doing something that makes me have some form of an emotion. Like when you picked up that frog from the road and helped it across two days ago. You’re like a walking emotion,”

 

Naru nodded. “You’re already my friend, Sai-chan, so you don’t have to read your book for tips if you don’t want to. Just do what you feel like you should do and I’ll tell you if you mess up. I mess up sometimes too, it’s okay to make mistakes with people,”

 

“Like with Shikamaru-san?” Sai asked. Naru pursed her lips. Her stomach turned over. 

 

“Yeah. Like with him,” 

 

“He’s just ahead,” Sai said, pointing. Naru turned and looked down at the cliff below them, and the valley beyond that. The not-monk was racing across the valley atop the casket. Sai frowned, looking down at the cliff. Another casket, larger and made of the same kind of marble, rocketed out of the woods and off the cliff, also being ridden by a behemoth of a man who was laughing, looking over his shoulder at something. A second later, Ibara burst forward, dragging an unconscious Sora by the ankle and yelling profanities at the man. Naru looked around again, and saw, on their other side, Asuma and Chiriku racing toward Ibara, yelling at her to stop. 

 

“Sai-chan! Go down and park this monster in front of Ibara before she jumps her ass off that cliff!” Naru shouted, leaning into Sai’s dive. The eagle spread its wings loudly, making Ibara skid to a halt as Naru tumbled down and rushed to her. 

 

“You good? Your guy wasn’t too tough?”

 

“Fucking piece of shit bastard, I’m gonna strangle him with his own motherfuckign optic nerve, I swear to the gods I’m ripping his tendons out with my bare hands-”

 

“Did he knock out Sora or did you?” Sai asked calmly. Ibara turned to him and narrowed her eyes. 

 

“What are you? A cop?”

 

“Hey!” Asuma bellowed. They all turned to look at him. The two adults drew closer, and after a moment of Asuma coughing and trying to catch his breath, he straightened up and pointed at the valley. “It’s a trap, don’t go any further,”

 

“Can Sai and I fly over them and like, bomb them or something?” Naru asked. Chiriku shook his head. 

 

“We underestimated our opponents in both number and power,”

 

“So there’s three of them?” Naru asked, clutching her arm as she felt a bone shard slide a little before grinding into place.

 

“Four, by the looks of it,” Sai said, looking past his eagle and at the opposing mountainside. Naru scowled.

 

“Okay, so why are we waiting? We still have more bodies, even with Sora sleeping on the job. Let’s get it poppin’,”

 

Asuma started at the expression, but Ibara and Sai both nodded solemnly. Chiriku was squinting at her arm, which she shifted behind her so he couldn’t see that it was still a little crooked. Naru looked down at Sora, and sighed.

 

“Guess we should wake him up, huh?”

 

Ibara scowled. “I don’t like him,”

 

“Still, we can’t just leave him here,” Naru pointed out. Sai perked up.

 

“Let’s throw him into the valley and see if he sets off a trap,”

 

“Kids!” Asuma exclaimed, a little shocked. They all ignored him. Naru ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. 

 

“No, I think we should just regular old wake him up,”

 

“Do you wanna do it, Naru?” Ibara offered, bending down and dragging Sora up by the collar. Naru shrugged and leaned forward, placing her mouth near the side of Sora’s face and taking a deep breath before screaming at the top of her lungs into his ear. Sora’s eyes flew open and he flailed madly, smacking a hand over his ear and grunting as Ibara dropped him back onto the ground. 

 

“Okay, let’s go,” Ibara said, smacking Sai’s eagle out of existence and standing at the edge of the cliff for a split second. She glanced back at Naru and winked. “First one with a head in their hands wins,”

 

“Wins what?” she asked, holding back a pained grunt as she felt her last couple bones grind into place.

 

“Let’s figure that out once it’s done,” She laughed before dropping off the cliff. Naru grinned and then sprinted out after her, flipping off the edge. As she did it she heard Asuma groan. 

 

“They really weren’t kidding about this team,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: 2nd Fiddle, Lekeli47
> 
> Sai: No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Beastie Boys
> 
> Ibara: None Of Your Business, Salt-N-Pepa


	50. Sora, A Rock and a Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru is the hard place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m sorry if this chapter is not good i’m on a lot of meds rn lmao

Sora was the last to hit the ground. When he looked up, Naru was still holding her arm oddly while she was running, as though she wanted to obscure it from view. When he shifted slightly to the left, he saw that there was blood running down her hand. It was dripping onto the ground, hitting the grass and beading there. Sai was eyeing it too, but the other three hadn’t noticed yet.

 

Chiriku grasped the back of Asuma’s vest, yanking him back, and everyone slid to a halt. There was a rumbling beneath their feet, and each of them was knocked in different directions as the ground suddenly erupted. A massive rock formation obscured Sakura and Sai from view, and Sora lost his footing and began to fall just as the ground opened behind him. Naru’s bloodied hand shot out and caught his collar, and she let out a pained grunt as she clung to the side of the rock face using chakra control he was surprised she possessed.

 

Sora reached up and grasped the strap of her back pack, his knuckles turning white as he held on for dear life. Naru looked like she was in agony. When he thought back to the hard kick he’d landed on her thigh, how much chakra he had channeled into it, and how she hadn’t reacted at all. There was something seriously wrong with her arm.

 

He looked down at it, at the grip she still had on him, her muscles all tensed, her veins popping, and he saw a curious curve in the bone. Sai’s sleeve, wrapped tightly around it, was positively soaked with blood and reeked of disinfectant.

 

“Asuma-sensei!” Naru barked, her voice tremulous, but loud. Sora looked up at her face again, at her mouth, drawn into a snarl, a chip missing from her front tooth, making her already sharp teeth appear jagged and dangerous. One of her eyes was squeezed shut from the pain of holding Sora up with a broken arm and the other… the other was a fiery red, with a pupil slit vertically like a cat’s.

 

Sora’s blood ran cold. She wasn’t human. His free hand scrambled for purchase on the rock face. “Let me go,” He demanded, trying to keep the edge of panic from his voice as he tried to get free of her grip. She opened her watering eye and swore, staring down at him, looking every inch a predator.

 

“What? No! Stay still, I can’t hold you if you’re moving- OW! Stop it! We have to go and get Asuma-sensei and the monk. What are you- FUCK!”

 

But Sora had wrapped his hand around the bent part of her arm and squeezed. He felt something click and Naru shouted, recoiling as her hand relinquished its grip on his shirt and he fell back into the gaping chasm below.

 

He extended his claw and attempted to bury it into the canyon wall, but the prongs all snapped against the hard rock face.

 

Oh, no.

 

He looked up to see Naru shove off from the wall, performing a hand sign and suddenly there were twenty of her, joining hand to ankle, forming some kind of strange chain, and the nearest one caught him by the blood-stained front of his shirt again, yanking him upward and ripping it badly before using her other arm to catch him by his upper arm, gripping him so tightly that it had to bruise, if it didn’t do his muscle permanent damage. She pulled him close to her face and, with the hand that had been holding his shirt, quickly smashed her fist into his face, snapping his nose. He swore and brought his hand to it, feeling blood gushing freely from both nostrils as his eyes watered. Naru’s chain of cloned swung back, all of them slamming against the wall.

 

They disappeared, leaving only the one holding him. She smashed her knees against the stone, sticking there and changing her grip on him again, pinning him against the wall by his shoulders and screaming into his bloody face.

 

“Broken bones aren’t so much fucking fun when they’re yours, are they?” She shook him, “Huh?”

 

Sora groaned, and she head butted him pretty hard. His head cracked back against the rock her was pinned to, and he yelled, glaring up at her.

 

“Doesn’t feel nice, does it?” She screeched, her inhuman eyes wild, her teeth seeming to grow sharper as she got closer to him. Her voice was changing too, growing lower, her words becoming harder to understand. Sora shook his head.

 

“No!” He shouted, his voice muffled by his hands and distorted by his broken nose. Naru was breathing heavily, her lips still parted, but the reply seemed to calm her down a little. Sora slumped against the wall, and reluctantly put his weight on her thighs as she stared at him. She twitched a little, then looked up at the peak they’d just fallen from.

 

They were a long way down now.

 

She leaned to the side, redoubling her grip on him as she did, and sighed.

 

“With my arm and your concussion-“

 

“I don’t have a-“

 

“Ibara knocked you out and I just bashed your head twice, it’s safe to assume you have a concussion,” Naru snapped, “It's better to get to the floor of this thing and try to find our way from there,”

 

“I’m not going anywhere with you,”

 

“Oh, bright idea, let’s split up and make it easier for them to kill us. You’re really trying to make this fun for these assholes, huh? Throwing yourself into chasms and fucking-“ She grunted as she shifted him into her good arm and used her injured one to help her climb down the steep rock face, “re-breaking my arm. Just great. You know my best jutsu needs both my stupid hands, right? How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe like this?”

 

“I can keep myself safe, and I don’t want your help,” Sora growled, trying not to sound like a pouty child. He wasn’t sure he managed it. Naru grunted again.

 

“No, I’m not gonna do that,” She hissed under her breath. She didn’t seem to realise she said anything at all, but Sora turned and squinted into her face again. She wasn’t getting any more human. Not even a little.

 

He tried to ignore the urge in his stomach to kill her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sora: Fresh Blood, Eels
> 
> Naru: The Wolf, Fever Ray


	51. Naru, Stop Fucking Touching Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru is just trying to help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh poor naru, it seems like everyone wants a piece and in some cases very very literally

When Naru finally reached the ground, she immediately dropped Sora and grabbed her broken arm, pulling it in closely and trying to breathe the pain away. 

 

_ Hey, pops, how’s that shit looking?  _

 

**_MURDER THE ABOMINATION NOW BEFORE HE DOES YOU ANY FURTHER DAMAGE. IT WILL TAKE ME AN HOUR TO FIX THIS NOW. I WAS ALMOST FINISHED WHEN HE BROKE IT AGAIN._ **

 

Naru glanced over at Sora, who was still holding his broken nose and watching her carefully. She walked over and squatted in front of him. “Drop your hands, idiot,”

 

He glared at her. “What? You gonna try to send what’s left of my nose into my brain?”

 

“Don’t tempt me. If you don’t straighten it out before it swells up, you’ll have to have it rebroken in order to set it,” 

 

“What, and you know how to straighten a broken nose?”

 

Naru laughed, despite herself. She pointed at her face. “You think I was born with this ugly mug? Nah, I earned it. Now come here,”

 

Sora reluctantly lowered his hands and let Naru plant her own flat against his face. She pulled them back, applying pressure to the cartilage of his nose so that it slid into place. Blood poured out into her hands and over his shirt, and he squeezed his eyes shut and whined. She rolled her eyes. 

 

_ I was less of a baby about this when I was twelve. _

 

**_YOU WERE BORN STRONGER THAN THIS FOOL COULD EVER DREAM OF BEING._ **

 

_ Thanks, Kurama. _

 

Naru pulled a rag out of her bag and handed it to Sora. “Blow your nose on this. Don’t put any pressure on it, I’m not fixing it again if you fuck it up,” She said, handing him the cloth. He blew into it loudly, and gingerly wiped his nose with it. Once he was done he made to hand it back, and Naru laughed. “Ew, no, don’t give it back to me! I don’t want that. Just chuck it on the ground if you don’t want to keep it,”

 

Sora tossed it aside and glared up at her. “Why break my nose just to fix it a minute later?”

 

“I clean up the messes I make, or at least, the ones I  _ can  _ clean up. I’m sorry I lost my temper and smashed your head,” She stood and dusted herself off, then held out a hand to the bloodied boy, sprawled in the dirt, his nose swollen and a fairly impressive bruise blooming under each eye. “Let’s try to find our way outta here,”

 

Sora scowled at her hand, then back up at her face. “I’m not going anywhere with you, monster,”

 

Naru tilted her head and withdrew her hand, her fingers curling into her palm. Her hands were both tacky with his blood, but the one she had offered to him felt suddenly cold. She rubbed her nose, looking quickly away from him.

 

“Oh, well, s’pose I can’t hold that against you, considering...” she cleared her throat and furrowed her brow, looking down into the cavernous entrance to the cave in front of them. “I’ll just go, then. Good luck,” 

 

She threw her bag over her shoulder and walked into the cave, not looking at him. She quickly realised she wouldn’t be able to see anything, and led herself along with careful footsteps and a hand on one damp wall. The whole cave smelled strongly of freshly dug earth and damp air. She kicked a stone, and guessed from the way it echoed that she was nearing a fork, or that the cavern opened up. She stilled, and stomped, listening intently. She still couldn’t quite tell by the echo alone, but it was seeming more likely that the path was forked. She spat in the palm of her hand hand held it out toward the center of the cave, feeling for an air current.

 

There was a slight breeze coming from the left. She crossed to the other wall, and when her hands hit it, began feeling her way toward the fork with more air flow. She noticed that it tilted up. And with a few more footsteps, she noticed the sound of running water. She hesitated. 

 

It wasn’t a good idea to try to walk across running water that you can’t see. Even with Jiraiya’s blind training, there was no guarantee that she’d be able to navigate it safely. She picked up the pace, feeling the ground level out and the walls open up again. She blinked. There wa a faint pink light emanating from around her. She looked at her dirty and blood encrusted hand. The wall was glowing where she was touching it. She withdrew her hand quickly and stepped away from it. The light seemed to grow brighter, and she looked down. The ground was glowing brightly under her feet. The entire structure, when she looked around, appeared to be made of some kind of crystal.

 

“Fuck… This isn’t any good at all,” She hissed. She strode forward, the pink light growing brighter as the light from her previous footsteps was joined by the new ones. She glanced back over them, watching her first prints fade slowly, and jumped as she bumped into something soft. She leapt back and stared at the person in front of her. 

 

“It’s okay, sugar,” A sultry voice cooed, “The light’s not gonna hurt ya,”

 

Naru tensed. A woman was standing in front of her, with long, long red hair and dark eyes, the gentle pink light making her look more beautiful than any person Naru had ever seen in her life. 

 

**_OH, PLEASE JUST ONCE, DO WHAT I SAY AND KILL HER!_ **

 

“Who are you?” Naru asked, stepping back and narrowing her eyes. The woman stepped forward to match her.

 

“No one,” She laughed. Naru picked up her pace, striding backward until her felt herself hit rock. The woman strode forward, reaching Naru and moving to kiss her cheek. Naru ducked out of the way and scrambled sideways, the cave suddenly bright with how much of her was pressed up against the wall. The woman laughed. 

 

“What is it, little boy? Never been kissed?”

 

“Uh, no, I’ve been kissed a few times,” Naru said, “But I don’t wanna kiss  _ you _ ,”

 

The woman’s smile slid from her face in a second. “What?” She snapped. Naru scuttled back and took a deep breath. 

 

“I’m sick and tired of people being like this. I do not want to kiss strangers. I don’t know you. You don’t have any right to touch me. If you try to touch me without my permission, I will cut off anything that comes within an inch of me. Keep your hands and mouth to yourself, lady,” She snapped, still scrambling backward. She hooked her finger into her remaining vambrace, pulling out her long kunai and holding it defensively with her bad arm. The woman looked furious.

 

“You think you can just say ‘No’ to me, little boy? You think you’re strong enough to fight me off?”

 

“Mmm, looks like we’re about to put it to the test, huh?” Naru laughed as the woman started making hand signs. Naru flattened herself as a phoenix flower jutsu flew over her head.  _ Talk about a deja vu… _

 

Naru rolled to the side and got to her feet, leaping into the air just in time to avoid a mud trap jutsu. Naru frowned, summoning a clone and using it to fling herself into the air. She palmed the ceiling and stuck there, glaring down at the woman as she performed another set of hand signs. 

 

Naru braced herself and clambered across the ceiling of the cave. The stranger held out one hand and aimed a bolt of lightning at Naru. She swore, launching herself down behind the woman, turning to stab her. 

 

Suddenly the water of the river running through the cavern swelled, sweeping Naru off her feet. Naru scrambled for purchase on the rock, and the woman laughed, taking aim at the ground with her lighting jutsu. Naru scrambled upward, summoning a shadow clone and hurling herself to dry land as the woman ran an electric current through the water below her feet. Naru thudded to the ground and bit back a yelp as the jarring motion sent a shooting pain up her arm. 

 

The woman drew closer, and her long red hair seemed to fan out behind her as Naru cradled her broken arm and tried to catch her breath. Her mind was turning over and over, looking for a way out. There was no hope of using a rasengan or any other jutsu, considering how her arm was feeling, and the woman was dragging her to her feet by the front of her tank top, shoving her up against the wall, snarling in her face.

 

“Hold still,” The woman cooed, licking up the side of Naru’s face slowly. Naru shuddered. The woman smelled like mud and sickly sweet flowers. “relax and enjoy it… mmm!” she pressed her fingers to her lips and made a delighted face, “ _ wind _ chakra nature, huh? Delicious, and so rare!” The woman caught Naru’s face in her long, slender hands. Naru felt sick. “I’m going to  _ enjoy _ this,”

 

And she pressed her lips against Naru’s own. Naru struggled as hard as she could at first, but her body began to feel stiff, and she felt tired… so tired…

 

And the light in the cave was so soft, and the wall felt so cool against her aching bones. This… stranger’s lips were soft, and even if she smelled like dirt, who cared?

 

Naru didn’t close her eyes, but her sight faded from them. She relaxed, and let the aches and pains go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Mr. Bright side, The Killers
> 
> Fūka: Kill Of The Night, Gin Wigmore
> 
> Sora: Alcatraz, King No-One


	52. Sora, The Taste Of A Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang un-splits up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I’m making *sakura enters, carrying someone she may or may not have knocked unconscious* a trope
> 
> 2\. poor naru
> 
> 3\. this is gonna start Going Faster. but I recommend you lot don’t wish this arc away

“Where did she go?” Asuma shouted into Sora’s face, shaking him. Sora scowled.

 

“What, you mean after attacking me and shapeshifting into a monster?”

 

“Where. Is. Naruto?” He demanded, almost pulling Sora off the ground entirely. Sora pointed down along the path she’d taken.

 

“She wandered off down there,” He said. Asuma dropped Sora and ran into the dark. Chiriku grasped Sora’s forearm hard enough to bruise and pulled him after the taller man. 

 

The cave was pitch black, but Chiriku summoned forward a little, golden flame that he held in the palm of his hand. 

 

“Which way?” He asked Asuma sharply. Asuma looked a little panicked. 

 

“I… I can’t tell how she even got this far. She can’t use fire style, and she wouldn’t have been able to see,”

 

“Maybe her demonic eyes can see in the dark,” Sora huffed. Asuma shot him a look that he couldn’t quite read. They all jumped and turned as they heard hurried footsteps. 

 

Sakura came into view, carrying an unconscious Sai over her shoulders and glaring at them.

 

“Where’s Naru?”

 

“Somewhere in this cave system,” Asuma said, straightening up. Sakura nodded, looking around.

 

Inexplicably, she licked the palm of her hand and held it out, frowning. She looked down the left corridor. “She went that way,”

 

Asuma frowned. “How can you be sure?”

 

“She can fight and navigate blind,” She said calmly. Asuma, however, looked shocked.

 

“How?”

 

Sakura shrugged, Sai flopping a little as she did so. “She learned how from Jiraiya-sama,” She started down the tunnel confidently, and Sora noticed that Sai’s arm was heavily bandaged. He wondered if Sakura had knocked him out too.

 

They all followed her, and after a while, came upon an unexpected scene. A woman, tall and beautiful, with long red hair that was twisting and moving behind her like silk under water, was grasping the front of Naru’s shirt and… kissing her.

 

Naru, however, didn’t look like she was enjoying it. Or participating at all- or… conscious. Her eyes had rolled back, the whites exposed, and thick, black veins were radiating outward from where the woman’s lips touched hers. Every muscle was frozen. She looked like she was a statue, or dead. The woman’s eyes flew open and she reached out one hand, sending a bolt of lighting at them that they all scattered to avoid. She broke the kiss, but Naru stayed under the trance, her head lolling back, her lips blackened. The woman smiled.

 

“Oh, you’ll all have to wait, this little one has more chakra than he lets on,” She laughed, sending a wave of water toward them and then striking it with more lightning. Asuma bore the brunt of it this time, while the others all managed to get out of the way. 

 

Naru took an audible, shuddering breath, and the woman snapped their faces back together. Sakura set Sai down out of the way and charged forward, snarling.

 

“Let her go, you-“ but the woman quickly sunk her into a mud trap and then broke the kiss again.

 

“Oh, it’s a girl? My mistake,” She snorted, “Not that it matters much  _ now _ , of course,” 

 

Sora and Chiriku suddenly began sinking too, and Asuma grunted, rolling over, seemingly in shock. It was beginning to look hopeless, they couldn’t do many attacks with the woman entwined with Naru like that, but, a few more minutes and it wouldn’t matter anyway.

 

_ Is that such a loss? One less monster in the world? _

 

But just as he thought it, the woman shoved Naru back, clutching her throat and coughing. The traps she had set were suddenly gone, and Sakura leapt forward and caught Naru before she hit the ground.

 

“What…” The woman coughed, “What on earth was  _ that?” _ She looked sick, like someone who’d had way too much to drink, and she staggered to one side. Chiriku and Sora were frozen to the spot as Sakura frantically took Naru’s vitals, completely ignoring the enemy a few feet away. 

 

“Naru! Naru, get your sturdy ass up, come on,” Sakura hissed, starting chest compressions and gritting her teeth. The woman actually backed away, coughing. 

 

Sora felt his vision darken a little. It unfocused. He felt suddenly dizzy. Chiriku grasped his shoulder to steady him. 

 

He saw movement as Naru jerked awake, and when her gaze met his, an image flashed in front of his eyes.

 

A demon, crouched, snarling, nine tails thrashing. Teeth gnashing and claws digging into soft earth. A deafening snarl rang in his ears.

 

And then he blinked, and it was just Naru, her dark skin bloodless, and sick looking, with thick blue-black veins still marring her face. He looked around. The woman was gone. 

 

Naru was still staring at him. Her eyes were, once again, a stormy blue. But he wasn’t fooled as he looked back into them. He knew she wasn’t a human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Alien, Airways
> 
> Sora: No Good, Kaleo


	53. Naru, Hospital Hostility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru wakes up in a mood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m an hour too late for the fifteenth i’m sorry folks

_ Naru was laying down on the red couch inside her mind, tossing an apple up and catching it with both hands.  _

 

**_“WHY NOT SET ME FREE? IT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR US TO FIGHT TOGETHER IF YOU UNSEALED ME,”_ **

 

_ Naru looked over at window, cracks radiating out like the threads of a spiderweb, and Kurama, resting his chin on the sill and giving her the massive, demonic equivalent of puppy-dog-eyes. Naru shot him a nervous smile. _

 

_ “Because I want to have control of my own body, Pops. It’s hard sharing a body with anyone, even you,” _

 

_ “ _ **_YOU DON’T TRUST ME?”_ **

 

_ Naru snorted out a laugh. She got up, and walked over, resting her hand on his muzzle and petting him gently. “‘Course not,” She laughed, “I’m not nearly as dumb as I look,” _

 

**_“YOU’LL BE GOING BACK SOON,”_ ** _ Kurama rumbled, “ _ **_THEY NEED YOU, BUT PLEASE… KILL THAT BOY. THE ABOMINATION,”_ **

 

_ “No promises pops,” Naru said, leaning against him, “No promises,” _

 

By the time Naru finally woke back up, they were back in Konoha and she was laying flat in a hospital bed, the curtain pulled up beside her. 

 

_ Were you paying attention? What’s going on? _

 

**_NOTHING TOO WORRYING. JUST YOUR GIRL FUSSING OVER YOU. YOUR WEAKLING WAS HERE TOO. HE CRIED._ **

 

_ Oh, gods... _

 

Naru sat up and ripped the IV out. Blood began running down her arm. Wires caught, and she looked down. Sticky circles were attached to her chest under her loose hospital robe. They made her skin feel tight. Uncomfortable. She reached down and yanked them loose, letting the wire slyther to the floor and coil like a snake relaxing 

 

There was a loud beep- a digital scream, and Naru spun around. There was some kind of… screen behind her, a green line, flattened, and the computer was yelling.  She stood up, walked over, and unplugged it. The screen went dark with a click and she looked around, snatching up the closest vase. They’d put her in a room without a window, but she could tell by the way the room slanted that she was just across the hall from a room that had one. She threw the flowers aside and emptied the water onto the floor, turning the vase over and trying to guess how it would break. 

 

Footsteps were audible in the hallway, growing closer. She smashed the vase and held the shards of glass in front of her as she heard the sound of the door crashing open. She braced herself as someone tore the curtains down….

  
  


“Naru!”

 

Sakura- actually Sakura, not Ibara- she was using her right hand to rip the curtains down, stood, glaring at her. 

 

“Sakura!” Naru exclaimed, throwing the remains of the vase over her shoulder, where it hit the wall and shattered. She beamed at her best friend, trying her best not to look guilty as she did it. Sakura cocked her hip and narrowed her eyes.

 

“You know you’re not supposed to take out your own IVs, Naru,”

 

Naru kept her smile up, running her hand over her hair and shifting awkwardly. “I hate being here and you know that,”

 

“I’m not letting you go and recover from some crazy vampire jutsu in a ditch in the local park!”

 

“The local park has plenty of benches to recover from vampire jutsus on, thanks,” Naru said, throwing her hands up and letting her gown flap around, emphasising her grippy hospital socks. She crossed her arms. “Where are my clothes?”

 

Suddenly, Sai sat up in the bed behind Sakura and pointed at Sakura’s back. 

 

“She took them and put them in the laundry,”

 

Naru scowled. “What am I supposed to do now, huh? Wear this to the park?”

 

“You’re supposed to stay in the bed until I discharge you!” Sakura snapped. Sai smiled. 

 

“Mmmm, I’m going to the park,” Naru said, “There’s no needles there,”

 

“Naru!” Sakura groaned, but Naru stomped out of the room, kicked open the door to the room opposite, and threw a chair through the window. 

 

They’d wisely placed her on the first floor, so she climbed out of it and walked out over the lawn and across the bridge. She hesitated on it, looking at the river, remembering what her life had been, the conversations she had had there. She smiled, looking at the water rushing underfoot. Her hospital gown was thin, and did nothing to protect her from the chilly autumn air.

 

“Imagine…” A familiar voice drawled, making her jump and turn around, “You breaking out the second you wake up… What a drag,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Ivy League, Alex Lahey (Okay this song is my self insert rn ok)
> 
> Sakura: Never Start, Middle Kids
> 
> Shika: Take It Out On Me, The Old Pink House
> 
> Kurama: Willing To Die, Gin Wigmore


	54. Shikamaru, Cornerstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru finally fucking gets a chance to explain himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh... do you guys remember high school drama?

 

Naru was standing there in her hospital socks, one rolled down, with a red line on one cheek from the seam of a pillowcase and a look on her face like she was both happy and broken hearted. Her eyes were alight, a little watery, and her instinctive reaction to seeing him was, as usual, that the corners of her mouth twitched up into a smile that she refused to let happen. 

 

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck and shoved his other hand in his pocket. When they were kids he would have rushed forward, dragged her into a hug, pressed his face into her hair and reprimanded her for breaking out of the hospital.

 

Now… well, that would be entirely inappropriate.

 

“Hey Shikamaru-san-“

 

“Don’t call me that,” He groaned, stepping forward ever so slightly and looking into her face, “I really can’t take it,”

 

Naru frowned. “C’mon,” She said, tilting her head, “You’re the one who didn’t want to seem overly familiar,”

 

Shikamaru sighed, shuffling back and hoisting himself up so that he was seated on railing at the opposite side of the bridge from where she stood. She kept facing him, leaning against her own railing and watching him carefully. She looked so… despondent. Completely out of character. Her facade, the mask of cheerful apathy, was gone. She cared. She cared and it was just as bad because now he knew he had really hurt her.

 

“I never… I never meant it like that,”

 

“What did you mean it like?” She asked, gripping the bar behind her and glaring at him. “I’m not that pushy. If you didn’t want to hug when you first saw me that’s fine, but you acted like you didn’t give a fuck I was home after I was gone for three years,”

 

Shikamaru felt something cold and covered in thorns lodge in his chest, growing into his throat. Naru paused for a moment then pressed on.

 

“You know there was nothing about our friendship that couldn’t have existed alongside your relationship with Temari-san? There wasn’t any reason to cold shoulder me like that. She wouldn’t have been jealous that you were happy to see me for the first time in three years. Three fucking years!” 

 

Shikamaru looked at his feet and held his response on his tongue, knowing he shouldn’t say what was on his mind.

 

“It was so… so messed up,” Naru said, shaking her head and looking away from him, “Shikamaru-san-“

 

But he was standing now, and before he knew it he was in front of her, his hands on the railing on either side of her, his face inches from hers. She stared him down, a little surprise, a little anger, and more than a little hurt in her eyes.

 

“Please, Sunshine… Don’t call me that,”

 

“What am I supposed to call you, now you’ve decided we’re practically strangers?” She breathed. He bit the inside of his bottom lip, and then…

 

“It was you,” He said, meeting her gaze and shifting closer, maybe just by a millimeter, but closer all the same, “I was in so much… I don’t even know. This village seemed so empty, so dull, so bothersome. I spent every day in your apartment, I watered your plants and just sat staring at the ceiling and  _ missing  _ you. But I had to work, so I worked, and lord fifth promoted me to an advisor, and then they sent Temari to plan out the exams and lord fifth assigned me to the exams too, and  _ she _ …” Shikamaru paused, because his next words burned in his throat like bile, “She reminded me of you,”

 

Naru gaped up at him, but didn’t respond. He stepped back, he smoothed his hands over his ponytail, he brought his hand to his mouth. As though that would keep his words back, like he could catch them and crush them in his fist before anyone could hear them.

 

“She would say stuff, and it made me laugh. And she’d roll her eyes and she never flinched and she sometimes had this look in her eyes that made me think… she just made me think of  _ you _ . So, when she asked me out I said yeah. And when we hooked up I thought it was just that, but then it wasn’t, and I couldn’t be asked to end it because it was _ almost  _ you, and it filled the time I was otherwise just spending with my eyes glued to your ceiling. Not to mention that we still had to finish the chunin exam project... but then I actually _ liked _ her and I woulda missed having her around and… and then you came home and… I didn’t know what to do.  _ No clue _ . I was totally lost,”

 

“Does she know this?”

 

Shikamaru looked at her. She was frowning at him, like she was trying to figure out a complicated math problem. Shikamaru shook his head. Her frown deepened.

 

“Give me my keys, Shikamaru,” She said, her voice icy in a way he hadn’t ever heard before. He turned to her.

 

“Sun-“

 

“Don’t,” She snapped. She walked forward, and held out her hand. “Keys,”

 

“Naru, you know, you know I didn’t mean to hurt you,”

 

“You didn’t hurt me, Shikamaru,” She said, “But you’re gonna hurt Temari-san, and that’s not okay. You and I weren’t like that. Maybe we coulda been, maybe I… but it doesn’t matter. We weren’t ever, so I’m not… I can’t be…” she sighed. She reached down the front of her hospital gown and pulled forward a necklace…  _ Two  _ necklaces. One was the one he’d seen her wear before, the gift from the hokage, and the second was…

 

She undid it and held it out to him. “If you don’t want to be friends, then we won’t be friends, and you can have this back,”

 

Shikamaru stared at it, his mind feeding him the wrong response to the provided stimuli. Instead of feeling hurt that she was returning his gift, he was trying to stay calm.  _ She’d been wearing it this whole time.  _

 

“I’m not taking it back,” He said, bring both of his hands to hers and closing her fingers around it.

 

She withdrew her hand and looked at him, and for a moment, he expected her to shout, to throw the necklace in his face and storm away…

 

But she sighed, and put the necklace back on. She looked around, and shivered slightly. Shikamaru was suddenly struck by the fact that he was wearing a thermal under his vest and Naru was wearing nothing but a hospital gown and socks. “Naru… Let’s get your clothes,”

 

Naru blinked, turning and looking around, crossing her arms before looking back at him. “I don’t have any clothes. The ones that I wore on my last mission were all I had left,”

 

Shikamaru shrugged, smoothing his hand over his hair and shrugging. “I have some clothes you could borrow before you go home,”

 

“You could just give me the keys to my apartment, and we could go our separate ways,” 

 

“Do you want that?” Shikamaru asked. Her foot slid along the coarse wood of the bridge, coming to rest next her other, and she looked away. Her face was a little pink- but that could have just been the cold air. Shikamaru took her keys out of his pocket, sliding his pointer finger through the keyring and letting them hang from it, holding his hand out to her, the keys clinking a little before settling still. She looked up at him, and he shrugged again. “If you don’t wanna do this with me, you’re free to take the keys and walk away. I can even go get your clothes from Sakura and drop them off, or maybe have Choji drop them off, but… I don’t think that’s what you wanna do, is it?”

 

Naru turned and glared at him, her eyes firey and her lips twitching. “No,” She said, like she didn’t want to admit it. He tilted his head. She seemed to steel herself. “I want… I want us, the way I thought we were. I want you reading some crappy romance novel next to me and I wanna laugh and joke around, and... Shikamaru, I want to be your _ friend _ again. I want us hanging out tonight to not be a question, I want it to be an ‘ _ of course _ ’ instead of a ‘ _ maybe _ ’, and I wish that you hadn’t done all this extra shit, because i missed you like hell for three whole years and now that I’m home I miss you even more,” She ran her hands through her hair and shook her head. “Do you love her?”

 

“I’ve only been dating her for a few months,” Shikamaru said, honesty in every word, “so, no, I don’t,”

 

“Do you think you might love her one day?”

 

“...Yeah. Yeah I do,”

 

“Can we be friends? Can we please just... be friends again?”

 

Shikamaru nodded and strode forward, catching Naru up and finally hugging her to him. She rested her forehead heavily against his shoulder, and he inhaled deeply. She smelled like hospitals and burning, but underneath it was her usual warmth. She really was shivering. “Let’s get to the Nara compound so I can grab you some clothes,” He said.

 

“Okay,” Naru said into his chest. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh.  _ What a drag. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru: Cornerstone, Arctic Monkeys
> 
> Naru: Mate, Airways


	55. Naru, House Sitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH NO
> 
> (this is completely gratuitous for me and i’m not sorry)

Shikamaru had handed her thermals, and a massive sweater. She pulled them on while he stood awkwardly in the corner, facing the wall.

 

“I can’t believe you’re just changing right here,” He grumbled. She shot him a glance, taking in how his red ears and the back of his neck had gotten. She cleared her throat.

 

“We’re comrades, aren’t we?” She said, “You know by now I’m not shy,”

 

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said, a little laughter in his voice, “I noticed,” 

 

Naru smiled, holding her arms out, the sleeves of his sweater flopping over her hands. It smelled kinda like the woods, and faintly like cigarette smoke, probably because of Asuma. Shikamaru turned, and his face really was pink. He glanced down at her hospital socks and wrinkled his nose. 

 

“What’s your shoe size?” he asked. She looked down.

 

“Dunno, why?”

 

“Here,” He shuffled over to his closet and dug a pair of old sandals out, tossing them to her. “I outgrew these really fast, there’s not that many miles on them, and they’ll probably be your size,”

 

Naru sat on the floor and pulled her socks off, jamming her feet into Shikamaru’s old shoes and looking down at them. They were a little big, but not by much. She looked up at him and smiled again, jumping to her feet. “Okay! Let’s go to my place,”

 

Shikamaru’s face didn’t get any less pink as she grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the house, waving goodbye to his father, who was sitting at the table and looked entirely unfazed by a small jinchuriki dragging his son around his house without him knowing about it. 

 

A little while after they left the Nara compound, Shika tugged on Naru’s arm, looking around. Naru looked around at him and slowed to a stop. She looked up at him. “What’s up?”

 

“Uh… I just wanted to give you a heads up… I uh… I watered your plants,” 

 

Naru laughed. “So… you did what I asked you to do?”

 

“Well… I got nervous they might die… so I asked Ino for advice, on like… what plants eat and stuff,”

 

“...okay,” Naru said, looping her arm around his waist and pushing him forward, beginning to walk again from behind him. “So?”

 

“Well… they grew,”

 

They arrived at her apartment building and he reached out, unlocking the outer door and holding it open for her. She walked in, eyeing him suspiciously. He looked nervous, and his face was really red now. “Plants tend to do that, you know,” She said. He nodded.

 

“But then Ino knew that you liked plants, and she… well… she…” they climbed the stairs, Naru rushing ahead, feeling a little excited to see what the hell Shikamaru was so nervous about. They reached the door, but Shikamaru just turned the keys over in his hand. Naru turned to him, looking curiously at him. 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“And Choji knew that you had those cracks in your walls and that you didn’t have a lot of plates or anything… and Asuma-sensei uh… he… well uh…”

 

He took a deep breath and unlocked the door, pushing it open. Naru turned and gasped. Her apartment was… Green. Her original plants, at their place by her window, had grown to the ceiling and curved there, bending down in thin tendrils, wide leaves swaying gently with air movement she couldn’t feel- but they weren’t alone. Hanging baskets and terrariums filled with air plants hung from the ceiling, a basil plant sat on her kitchen counter, and Naru noticed that a window box holding a cherry tomato plant was just outside her window. Ino and Shikamaru had filled her house with life in her absence.

 

But that wasn’t all. The ceilings and walls had been patched and repainted in a nice off white, and the open bathroom door revealed a mirror that wasn’t cracked. She looked around, into the kitchen. There were three presents wrapped and lined up on the counter, but she walked past them to her cupboards, opening one of the doors. She gasped and covered her mouth, looking at the mismatched plates and bowls that filled it. She turned and looked at  Shikamaru, trying to hold back the sob welling up in her throat. His eyes were fixed the wall, and he was squinting hard. 

 

“You guys did all this for me?” She asked, lowering her shaking hands. Shikamaru shrugged and didn’t take his eyes off the wall. He dropped the keys on the counter, and turned to leave. 

 

“I’ll see you later,” He said, his voice low and scratchy. Naru rushed forward and caught the back of his vest, pulling him back into the apartment and making him face her. 

 

“Hey!” she barked, shaking him a little. He looked down at her, his face burning, his mouth pulled into a thin line as he seemed to struggle with something he was trying hard not to say. “Stay,” Naru said quietly. Shikamaru looked up, at the place where the wall met the ceiling, and sighed.

 

“Okay. I guess you should… you know… open your presents, or whatever,” He said, waving a hand lazily at the wrapped packages on the counter. Naru shot them a look and bit her lip. 

 

“Okay, but… for the record I got you something too, it’s just in my pack and Sakura probably took it when she took my clothes,”

 

“I don’t need a present, Sunshine,” Shikamaru said, rubbing the back of his neck and still not meeting her eye. 

 

“I got you one anyway,”

 

“Can you just… just open those already?”

 

Naru nodded and turned to the packages on the counter. She picked up the largest first, noticing the dust that had gathered in the folds of the paper. 

 

**_YOUR WEAKLING HAS HAD THAT WRAPPED FOR A LONG TIME._ **

 

_ Thanks for pointing that out. I wouldn’t have been able to guess without your input there.  _ Naru thought back. Kurama grumbled something and settled down, leaving her to rip open the package. A thick, warm blanket fell out, unfolding onto her lap. She glanced over at her bed, and the tattered one that was folded neatly there. She glanced up at Shikamaru and shot him a little smile. He was still determinedly looking anywhere but at her.  

 

The second present was less dusty, but still definitely not new. She opened it and there was a pair of mittens, a scarf, and a hat. The mittens and the hat were both navy, but the scarf was an eye-watering orange. Naru paused. 

 

The second year she’d been gone, it had been record-breakingly cold in the land of fire. Almost every traveller who heard her thick Konoha accent commented on the snow that had already started falling in early october. She looked up at Shikamaru. He’d really been thinking about her.

 

She moved aside the the crumpled paper and picked up the last present. She looked it over. It was the newest looking present by a long shot. No dust in the folds of the paper, done hastily, as though he’d been worried about a deadline. She took a deep breath, and glanced at Shikamaru again out of the corner of her eye. He had finally taken his eyes off the wall, and was looking at her, his arms crossed and his face a deep scarlet. She ripped the paper back, and froze. 

 

It was a frame, but not a photo. It was a complete shogi board with all the pieces glued in their starting positions, or, at least, it looked like all the pieces at first.

 

When she looked again, there were two missing. She looked up at Shikamaru, and fished the necklace he’d given her out of the sweater. “The Keima… this is the board… Is this the board from the chunin exams?” She asked quietly. A muscle was twitching in Shikamaru’s jaw. She blinked up at him. “Where’s…”

 

He reached up, catching his own collar and pulling forward a long necklace. The Keima from the other player’s set, with a hole drilled in it was strung around his neck. He was looking back at the wall, his brows furrowed and a muscle in his jaw still working furiously. Naru took a deep breath, then, grasping the wire from the back of the frame, brought it to the wall above her bed, and positioned it against the wall. 

 

“Do you have a senbon?” She asked, holding her hand out. Shikamaru started, and placed one in her hand. She threw it into the wall, just below her thumb, and then let the frame swing from it. She let a smile take her features over, pretending that she wasn’t holding back tears. “Heh, that’s… pretty cheesy Shika-kun,” She looked over her shoulder at him, “I can’t believe you put this much effort into some birthday presents,”

 

“Eh,” He muttered, not looking at her, “It wasn’t hard. I had the board laying around from when I gave you that necklace. Thought…” he trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

“Thanks, Grumpy,” she said. She looked over at her apartment, full of plants and plates and comfort items, and turned her back on Shikamaru. She frantically wiped the tears from her eye and sniffed, taking in a deep breath and steadying herself. “Now I really gotta go back to the hospital so I can give you your present, cause I feel like a total jerk right now,” She said, letting out a watery laugh and shaking her head. “You really had to show me up, huh?”

 

“It wasn’t about that,” He said. She fixed her eyes on the framed shogi board. “I missed you. We all missed you. Fixing this place up and thinking about things to get you… It just… filled the time. Made you feel a little less far away,”

 

Naru swallowed. She turned around and dragged up her biggest, brightest smile. “Guess we gotta go hang out now, before my next mission, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said, turning around with his hands in his pockets and nodding slowly, “Guess we just gotta,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Who Is In Your Heart Now, Stuido Killers
> 
> Shikamaru: Hallucinogenics, Matt Maeson


	56. Shikamaru, The Losing Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru needs to stop playing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaAAAAHHHH i have to get so many christmas presents done! And I have my pet project to work on too. So much Shika/Naru i cant cope.

They had been playing Shogi for about a half an hour (Naru has already lost one game and was close to losing another) when Kakashi strolled up to them, his hands in his pockets. Shikamaru looked up in surprise, but Naru turned to him, one eyebrow twitching up.

 

“Oh, neato, you’re back! I forgot what you look like. Again,”

 

“Sorry I’ve been so absent,” Kakashi said, taking one hand from his pocket and waving it in the air lazily, “I suppose you could say I-“

 

“Got lost on the path of life? More like you were off taking a nap on a bench somewhere with your face in a dirty book,” Naru scowled. Shikamaru felt an odd mixture of entertainment and nervousness at the way she interacted with her teacher. She seemed genuinely resentful of him.

 

“Mah, Naru-kun, you need to calm down a little,” Kakashi, the copy ninja, the famously dangerous Konoha nin, waved his student’s attitude away like a fly. 

 

“Why are you here? You never come around just to check up on me,” She said. Shikamaru felt really awkward now.  _ She’s definitely bitter about something. _

 

“Two things,” Kakashi said, suddenly brisk. Shikamaru supposed that Kakashi had been planning on wasting a little more time before getting to the point, but was willing to cut to the point not that Naru had forced his hand. “One, Yamato, you, and I are all going to be heading down to training ground C, because I have to teach you something that only you can learn,”

 

Naru straightened up, suddenly completely focused on her teacher. “You’re going to teach  _ me _ something?”

 

_ Why is she so surprised? He’s her sensei... _ But Kakashi just nodded slowly. 

 

“And second, on the way there, we need to swing by the Hokage’s dome. There are some things of yours that you need to pick up,” 

 

“Sakura’s still got my bag, huh?” Naru asked, sighing and getting to her feet. She turned around to look over her shoulder at Shikamaru and offered him a small smile. “We’ll have to save this one for another time. Duty calls,”

 

“Don’t you ever stop working?” Shikamaru sighed, resting his chin on his hand and frowning up at her. “You just got out of the hospital. You weren’t even discharged, either, you just left. You already have to go and train?”

 

Naru smiled at him, and she really smiled this time, her whole face seemed to light up and her eyes squeezed shut with how wide her grin reached. Shikamaru’s stomach felt very strange and fluttery.  _ Troublesome. _ “Sorry, Grumpy, duty calls. I’ll see ya later,”

 

“Whatever. What a drag,” He grumbled, nudging one of the pieces forward on the board, “Checkmate. And I was gonna let you win this one,”

 

“Liar,” Naru laughed as she followed Kakashi away. Shikamaru let himself fall backward, thudding against the porch and letting out a sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Dumb Luck, We Are Scientists
> 
> Shikamaru: School Uniforms, The Wombats
> 
> also: Arabella, Arctic Monkeys
> 
> Kakashi: Guns Out, Young The Giant


	57. Naru, Do I Goootttaaa Learnnnnn If this chakra flows both waaaaaaayyyyyysssss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru learns things from her teacher for once

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kakashi: bad teacher, bad rolemodel, good dog owner, my mans

“What the everloving FUCK is he doing here?”

 

**_STAB. STAB!_ **

 

“Naru,” Tsunade said, rubbing her temples as she spoke, her voice strained, like she was trying her best to hold back a snarl, “I want you to please keep an eye on Sora and keep him safe. You can do this while you train with Kakashi and Yamato. Chiriku requested you specifically,”

 

“Only as a punishment for me,” Sora snarled, his voice muffled by the gauze taped under his still-swollen nose. Naru shot him a dirty look. He had two spectacular black eyes to match his deep purple nose, and a hateful look on his face that made Naru wanna show him that he was lucky the first time she hit him. And the second. He’d been lucky their whole acquaintance.

 

“Uh-huh,” Tsunade said, with an air that made it  _ so clear  _ she didn’t care about anything that came out of his mouth, that Naru was surprised he didn’t excuse himself. But no. He just… kept standing there. Like an idiot. Naru huffed.

 

“Okay, I’ll babysit him. Is there any info on how long it’ll be?”

 

“A few days,” Tsunade said. She poured herself a drink and downed it before looking at Naru. “And if you break another hospital window  _ or _ door  _ or _ village-owned-fixture of any kind, I’m taking it out of your pay and I’m taking a pound of flesh with it,”

 

“What’s a pound of flesh between you and me, Tsunade-Baa?” Naru said, shooting her a crooked smile and snatching up her bag. She turned back toward the door and waved over her shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Baa-chan,” 

 

“Not if I see you first,”

 

“Come on, Sora. I have shit to do and I gotta meet my sensei on training ground C,” She snapped, turning down the hall and not waiting for the boy. He shuffled after her, his arms crossed and real hate in his eyes, “I don’t have time for nonsense,”

 

“You are nonsense,” Sora sniped. Naru rolled her eyes.

 

**_A GOOD RESPONSE WOULD BE STABBING._ **

 

_ No, that’s an overreaction. _

 

**_I DISAGREE._ **

 

_ You do that. _

 

“I hate you,” Sora snapped to fill the silence. Naru considered simply starting a conversation with Kurama in order to drown him out, but decided Sora was probably going to keep insulting her until she responded.

 

“Shocker. Wouldn’t’ve guessed that from the way you act. And look. And talk, and dress, and smell. And  _ exist _ ,” She laughed, tossing a vendor a thick coin and catching the apple they tossed back. She bit into it, and spat the rest of her retort around the mouthful. “If your goal is to surprise me, I’d go with something less common than hatred. You could try apathy… or indigestion triggered upon seeing me. That’d be different,”

 

“I think I do actually have that second one,” Sora muttered, pulling a face as well as he could with his nose still broken. Naru turned and looked at him, letting herself smile incredulously.  _ Was he joking with her or was he actually just an asshole? _

 

**_WE HAVEN’T KILLED ANYONE IN A LONG TIME._ **

 

_ A couple weeks isn’t a long time. _

 

**_IT FEELS LIKE A LONG TIME._ **

 

Naru snorted and bit into her apple again, leading Sora down the street toward the training grounds and passing the one where team eight were, doing taijutsu drills. Naru waved at them excitedly, and they all dropped what they were doing to wave happily back. It was Sora’s turn to snort.

 

“Why do people here talk to you? They’ve gotta know you’re a monster. You have  _ fangs _ ,”

 

Naru glanced at him and smiled again, this time just with the intention of flashing them to him. “They like me anyway, slightly pointy teeth and all. It’s because I’m buff, actually. If you did squats and kept your mouth shut, I’m sure people might start to like you too,”

 

“People like me just fine,” Sora snapped, “And I don’t need people anyway,”

 

“That’s a lie,” Naru said calmly, looking out over training ground B as they approached it. Tenten was whipping weapons at a dummy, shredding it to pieces. Naru grinned when Tenten looked up and saw her. 

 

“Hey! You! Muscles! Wanna fight?”

 

Naru laughed. “Sorry, Bunhead, I gotta train with my Sensei! Maybe tomorrow?”

 

“I’ll hold ya to it!” The girl called back, tossing a bomb at the dummy and blowing it up. She performed a perfect evasive maneuver to avoid the knives that came launching out at her. Naru smiled. 

 

“Everyone needs friends,” Naru said, glancing back over at Sora. “If you stop being such a sulky asshole, I’ll be your first one,”

 

“You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to be alone,”

 

Naru laughed. She couldn’t help herself. It was so ridiculous, so much bluster and confidence and  _ edge  _ he was filled with without anything to back it up. There wasn’t anything to him. She shook her head. “Mm. You got me. I’ve had a super duper easy life and I can’t possibly understand your pain,”

 

“I can tell you’re being sarcastic,” Sora groused as Naru picked up her pace, half jogging to training ground C. 

 

Kakashi and Yamato were standing there, having what looked like a serious conversation. She came sprinting up and moved to tackle Kakashi. Kakashi sidestepped her, and she almost wiped out in the dirt before stumbling and catching herself. 

 

Kakashi sighed. “Even with my sharingan covered, you’re not anywhere near fast enough to pull that off,”

 

“Always with your guard up,” Naru sneered. 

 

“Maybe it has something to do with surprise attacks from burly teenagers,”

 

“Ah, yeah, whatever,” Naru said. She shot Yamato a crooked grin, and bounced on the balls of her feet, clapping her hands together, “So! What’re we working on?”

 

“First,” Yamato said, with the air of a mother reminding her child to say please and thank you, “why don’t you introduce your friend,”

 

Naru was confused for a moment, but then Sora scoffed loudly. “I’m not her  _ friend _ ,” He spat. Naru grinned wider.

 

“Tsunade put me on babysitting duty. He’s from the fire temple. His name’s Sora,”

 

“What happened to your face?” Kakashi asked. Sora sniffed loudly, just serving to emphasise how bad his nose looked. 

 

“She happened,”

 

Kakashi didn’t look at Naru. He just kept watching Sora carefully. “Hm. What did you do that made her do that?”

 

Sora looked surprised at the question. Naru glanced at Yamato, who was looking at Kakashi, and then back to her teacher. Sora cleared his throat. “I don’t know what you mean,”

 

“Well, I’ve never known Naru-kun to hit someone who didn’t need hitting, so what did you do?”

 

“He re-broke my arm after I’d caught him to stop him from falling off a cliff,” Naru said, “Intentionally, that is. I lost my temper,”

 

“Hm. Sora, go sit down somewhere. I don’t have the energy to deal with two hot-headed idiots right now,”

 

Sora gaped at him, but Yamato shrugged, and Naru refused to take her eyes from Kakashi.  _ What is he playing at? _

 

**_IT ALMOST SEEMS AS THOUGH HE’S REALISED THAT THE UCHIHA BRAT ISN’T HIS ONLY STUDENT._ **

 

Kakashi turned to Naru as Sora stormed away, muttering to himself and taking a seat on the ground with his back to Naru and the two men. Her teacher held up three fingers. 

 

“We have three principles that you have to understand and be capable of applying before we can begin working on what I really want to do here,”

 

Naru groaned, throwing her head back. “Oh gods! I gotta learn  _ theory? _ ”

 

Kakashi snapped his fingers in her face, calling her attention back to him and beckoning her closer. She pouted and stepped forward a little. “Okay, okay, kid. Your mouth? Shut it. You gotta do theory for this, but listen, you already mastered two of the three principles without even meaning to,” 

 

“Huh?” Naru asked, tilting her head. Kakashi nodded.

 

“Yep. You mastered shadow clones to a degree that frankly no one else has ever been able to come close to in the history of the village when you were twelve,” He said, producing his own shadow clone and gesturing for Naru to do the same. She did. Kakashi gestured to it. “And I know you’ve noticed that when a shadow clone dissipates, you gain its memories,” He tossed a knife at his clone and Naru’s, making them disappear. 

 

“Well, yeah, of course,” Naru said, blinking as the memory of the knife sticking in her forehead popped up. Kakashi eye-smiled at her and shot Yamato a glance. 

 

“You win that bet,” He said. Yamato crossed his arms and smiled. 

 

“You need to have more faith in your students,” Yamato teased, even his voice sounding happy. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. 

 

“Maa, can you blame me?”

 

“Yes,” Yamato laughed. Kakashi shook his head and looked back at Naru. 

 

“Now that we know that, you can probably guess that if you use a whole bunch of clones to practice a technique at once it’d be like someone else practicing over and over and over again,”

 

Naru nodded. “Okay, I wouldn’t have thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense,”

 

“Good. That’s because you didn’t think of it,” Kakashi said calmly. Naru grinned.

 

“Shut up,”

 

“You’re talking again. Don’t do that,” He laughed, ruffling her hair. She just grinned wider. Yamato looked a little shocked. “And that frees up a lot of time for the second two principles. You’ve got one of those down too, but you’ll need both if you’re going to do what I think you can do,”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Oh look, you’re not following directions, shocker,” Kakashi mused, a little laughter lingering in his voice, and he pulled his right hand from his pocket, holding it out toward Naru. “The two other principles you need to learn are the change in chakra form and the change in chakra nature. The first, the change in chakra form, transforms chakra from energy that you expend, into jutsu that you perform.  _ You _ know what is, quite possibly, the most powerful version of this,”

 

“Push ups?” Naru joked. Kakashi eye-smiled again. 

 

“Not exactly,” He said, summoning the rasengan in his palm and showing it to her, before letting it dissipate. “The fourth Hokage developed that jutsu. But it wasn’t ever completed. He was still trying to improve it when he died. He always planned to add something to it,”

 

“Let me guess, it was the second principle. The one I don’t know?”

 

“Change in chakra nature. Wow. It only took you sixteen years to grow a brain,”

 

“Don’t worry. A few more heavy blows to the head and it’ll be gone again, no need to feel threatened,”

 

Yamato was laughing into his hand. Kakashi had his hands on his hips and was looking at Naru like he was rethinking his whole life. She smiled at him, crossing her arms. Kakashi reached into his weapon’s pouch and pulled out a few pieces of paper. 

 

He held one up. “This is chakra litmus paper. You channel some chakra into it, and it’ll reveal your chakra nature. If your chakra nature is  fire, the paper will ignite and turn to ash, wind and the paper will split in two, lightning, the paper will wrinkle. Earth, the paper will turn to dirt and crumble away. And finally, a water nature will make the paper wet. Go ahead, take a piece,” he said, holding them out to her.

 

Naru took one, and then squinted up at him. Kakashi held up his own paper. “Okay, go ahead, just channel a little chakra into your hand, like this,” 

 

The paper he was holding crumpled around his fingers. Naru nodded and held hers up, squinting at it. At first, it seemed as though nothing was happening, so she forced more chakra into the paper.

 

It shredded into confetti in her hand and a little breeze blew it across the training ground. Kakashi cocked his eyebrow at her. “So, you’re super extra and also a wind chakra nature. Congrats. That’s really rare. In fact, there’s only one other person in the village who has it,”

 

“Two, now. I have a wind chakra nature too,” Sora snapped from his place behind her. Naru glanced at him, and then thought of the woman who’d tried to suck her soul out through her mouth.

 

“Hey, can someone have more than one nature?”

 

“Yes!” Yamato said, excitement all over his face. Naru turned to him and blinked. 

 

“Do you? You have that wood thing, right? But wait… that’s not one of the ones Kakashi-sensei named…”

 

“That’s because wood release isn’t it’s own nature. It’s comprised of two seperate natures!” Yamato said, smiling. He jogged backward a little bit, and then slammed his hand down to the ground. The earth split, and the portion he was standing on rocketed skyward. Kakashi sighed as Yamato waved happily from atop his brand new cliff, plopping down to sit on the edge and calling down, at the top of his lungs, “earth!” before slapping his hands together again and causing a massive waterfall to spill over the cliff, slamming to the earth with ground-shaking force and instantly creating a river flowing down the slope and into the woods. “And water!” Naru looked up at him. 

 

“That’s cool as shit, Cap!”

 

“Thanks, Naruto!”

 

Naru turned back to Kakashi and tilted her head. “So how do I do cool shit like that?”

 

Kakashi cleared his throat and pointed to a tree nearby. “Make a clone for each leaf on that tree. Then, with the leaf pressed between your hands, tear it in half like you did the litmus paper. It’ll be a lot harder. Those leaves aren’t designed to pick up on chakra change like the paper is. But if you can do that, then we can figure out how you’re going to incorporate it into your rasengan,”

 

Naru turned and narrowed her eyes at the tree. “There’s gotta be hundred of leaves on that tree!”

 

“Then you’re going to have to make a lot of clones, huh?” Kakashi teased. Naru shot him a smile. “Okay, okay. But what’s Captain Yamato doing here then?”

 

“He’s going to help to restrain the Kyuubi. We’re aiming for exhaustion, and I’ve been warned more than once that getting you exhausted is a sure fire way to get you all red eyed and murderous,”

 

“Hm. Okay then, whatever you say,”

 

**_WE DO NOT NEED THAT MAN’S HELP. WE’RE PERFECTLY CONTROLLED._ **

 

_ Well maybe it’s not a great idea to advertise our deal, ever thought about that. _

 

**_ALMOST AS OFTEN AS I LOOK UPON THE EXTINCTION OF MANKIND WITH BAITED BREATH._ **

 

_ Oh, so every day, twice on Tuesdays. _

 

**_AH, YOUR CAPTAIN IS STARTING HIS INTERFERENCE. I’M GOING TO GO AND TAKE A NAP._ **

 

_ Bye, pops. _

 

Naru took a deep breath, sticking herself, and then summoned as many clones as she could. The training ground was filled with a crowd of her, all looking determined. Naru, the original Naru cupped her hands around her mouth. 

 

“OKAY! EVERYONE, GRAB A LEAF! LET’S GET IT POPPIN’!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Whatever Happened To My Rock N Roll (Punk Song), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
> 
> Kakashi: FML, K. Flay
> 
> Yams: I Wont Let You Down, OK Go


	58. Shikamaru, Knights and Knives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru has problems, Asuma knows how to solve em...
> 
> (it’s stop fucking around like this time shika)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmmmMMMMM id totally do what naru did in this chapter of I could

Asuma and Shikamaru were playing Shogi on the porch of Shikamaru’s house. Shikamaru had won three games in a row, and had even tried to let Asuma win at one point, unsuccessfully. “If you were a shogi piece, which one would you be?” Asuma asked. Shikamaru looked up at him, surprised. 

 

“What kinda question is that?”

 

“The kind I’m asking you,”

 

Shikamaru moved a piece and sighed, resigned to whatever symbolic nonsense Asuma was about to spew. “I don’t know? What piece would you be?”

 

“Me? A pawn,” Asuma said, taking one of Shikamaru’s. “Disposable. Common. But you? You’re a knight. Crucial. Important. Capable,”

 

“Mm,” Shikamaru hummed, “Then who’s the king?”

 

Asuma smiled, happy Shikamaru caught on so quickly. “Who do you think?”

 

_ Naru. _ He thought, debating if he wanted to end the game before Asuma got to his point. He shrugged. “The Hokage?” He suggested. Asuma just kept smiling.

 

“That’s what I thought when I was your age,”

 

Shikamaru sighed. “Who, if not her, then?”

 

Asuma shook his head. “No. You’ll know when it’s time for you to know,”

 

It was a relief when Naru suddenly came crashing out of the woods, looking sweaty and dishevelled, with a leaf caught on her headband and his sweater tied around her waist. His thermal was tight on her, really tight. The seams looked strained all the way down the arms. When she saw them, she flashed them a grin that probably would have flowed in the dark.

 

“Oh, cool, I thought you’d be here,” She said to Asuma, who was lighting a cigarette and side eyeing her. Shikamaru resisted the urge to pout. She hadn’t come back for  _ him _ . 

 

“What do you need, shortstop?”

 

“Advice,” She said, dusting her arms off and walking up. “I hear you have wind chakra nature,”

 

“And?” Asuma asked, blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth, away from Naru. 

 

“And I need you to tell me how this works,”

 

Asuma hummed, cocking his head to the side and considering her. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you the low down on wind chakra if you buy our team barbecue after you master it,”

 

Naru squinted at him. “you want me to pay you?”

 

“No, no,” Asuma said, waving his cigarette idly and smirking, “I want you to come to dinner with us. And pick up the tab,”

 

Naru made a face and pulled out her wallet, checking its contents before squinting up at Asuma again. “Choji-chan is on your team. I’ll pay for him, Ino, and Shikamaru. You pay for yourself,”

 

Asuma grinned. “You’re not  _ nearly  _ as stupid as everyone thinks you are,”

 

“I get that a lot,” She said shrewdly, tucking her wallet away again and holding out her hand for him to shake. “Deal?”

 

Asuma popped the cigarette back into his mouth, taking her hand and shaking it. “Deal,”

 

Naru yanked him to his feet, and his cigarette toppled out of his mouth in his surprise. “Let’s get this thing rollin’ then,”

 

Asuma laughed down at her, then glanced over at Shikamaru with a knowing look as Shikamaru nudged a piece forward, trying hard to look bored.

 

Asuma pulled out one of his chakra blades and showed it to her. “You know what this is?”

 

“Chakra sensitive metal,” Naru recited, glancing at Shikamaru. He blushed a little as Asuma looked over his shoulder at him pointedly.

 

“Sharing team ten secrets, huh?” He teased. Shikamaru lifted his hand to hide his face from view. Asuma laughed. “Mmhmm. I see how it is,”

 

“Doubt it,” Naru said. Shikamaru glanced through his fingers at her. She was smirking up at Asuma, and he seemed like he was sizing her up. He thought back to when they were younger, and he’d considered asking for a team transfer for her. He wished, now, with the scar he could see on the back of her neck and the way Asuma was eyeing her, that he had. _And she has a wind chakra nature. She would have thrived._ _She might have never left. We might… we could have…_

 

“The trick,” Asuma was saying, holding his blade, “is o grind your chakra against itself, like you’re trying to sharpen the blade. Wind chakra is constant movement, and like air, it surrounds you. You don’t need much of it, but without direction, it won’t do anything,” 

 

“Yeah, but how do I get the chakra to change from this,” Naru summoned her rasengan, the light from them casting a blue glow over her dark skin. Asuma shrugged.  

 

“I don’t know. Figure it out,”

 

Naru snorted, looking up at him with a grin on her face. “Wow, for insights like that I usually have to wait two months until Kakashi-sensei remembers I’m his student,”

 

“Has trouble with that, does he?” Asuma laughed. Naru smiled. 

 

“Let’s put it this way,” She said, looking over her shoulder at Shikamaru, “he’s not sitting on my porch and playing a board game with me in any universe,”

 

Asuma paused. “Okay, okay. So, I can’t tell you what to do exactly, it’s something you have to figure out, but I have an exercise that might help to practice. Here,” He handed her one of his blades and took out his other one. “So, channel your chakra into that like you would channel your chakra into anything,”

 

“It might explode if I do that,” Naru warned. Asuma paused for a moment, and then nodded. 

 

“Okay, just… gently channel chakra into that like you would if you were a normal person and not some sort of human warhead, then throw it at that tree,”

 

Naru did. It made the tree crack vertically nearly two feet either way. Asuma nodded, obviously impressed. “Okay, now, I’m going to channel my chakra into this one, and while I do that, I’m going to visualise my chakra sharpening the blade, grinding it’s edge finely and sharply. Imagine the force behind a sand blaster, but take away the sand,”

 

Naru nodded, focusing her  eyes on Asuma’s blade. He smiled, then whipped it through the tree next to Naru’s. It ripped straight through it, and the tree behind it, burying itself deep in the rock behind that one. Naru’s mouth dropped open. 

 

Shikamaru couldn’t help but smile. She was…  _ cute _ . Terrifying, and strong, and inspiring, and  _ very, very cute _ . He blushed and frowned again.  _ Temari! You made your choice! _

 

“Holy shit!” 

 

“Yep. Finely and sharply,” Asuma said with a grin. Naru smiled at him, then looked over at Shikamaru.

 

“How’s tonight for dinner?” She asked, tilting her head. Shikamaru nodded, and Asuma grinned.

 

“Hope you’ve got some cash, kiddo,” He said, ruffling her hair, “You’re gonna need it,”

 

“Ah, yeah, yeah,” She laughed, waving him off, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll meet you guys at the joint at 6:30?”

 

“Okay,” Shikamaru said. Asuma lit another cigarette and exhaled out of the corner of his mouth again. 

 

“Sounds good to me,”

 

“Alright! See you later!” She said, beaming at them both. She walked over to Asuma’s blade buried in the tree, pulled it out, and before either of them could stop her, she stabbed herself in the chest.

 

Shikamaru leapt to his feet, upturning the Shogi board and yelling, but Naru just disappeared in a puff of smoke. Asuma looked at his blade on the ground for a moment in horror, then looked up at Shikamaru and laughed.

 

“Damn, she’s got some shadow clones. She coulda just dispersed too, she did that just to fuck with us,”

 

Shikamaru flopped backward, sighing heavily. “Yeah, that’s my Naru, alright,”

 

“Hm,” Asuma laughed, taking an extra long drag on his cigarette, “your Naru, huh?”

 

Shikamaru paused, and sighed. “Don’t say  _ anything _ ,”

 

“Just a piece of advice, Shikamaru,” Asuma said, turning the table back upright and beginning to pick up the pieces, “I will be disappointed in you if you do, but even more than that, if you’re gonna play this game, this back and forth with people,” He looked up at Shikamaru and pointed his finger at him, “I’d recommend picking very,  _ very _ different people than the ones you’ve picked, because neither Temari-san nor Naru are going to play along with you,”

 

“I’m not playing anything,”

 

“Good. Then stop acting like it,” Asuma said, tossing a knight at Shikamaru and sitting down heavily. Shikamaru squinted at him. 

 

“What would you do?”

 

Asuma laughed, ruffling his own hair. “Ah. I wouldn’t have done what you did in the first place. Kurenai and I… I knew it was her from the start. I never even entertained the idea of anything else. Even when she was gone on long missions, even when I thought she wasn’t interested. It was always going to be her, or nothing. I always thought of her,” Asuma sighed thoughtfully, ashing off the edge of the porch, “I suppose… I suppose all I have to tell you is to follow your heart  _ and _ your head. You’re smarter than I am, Shikamaru, you know that. I think that you know what’s right and what’s wrong,”

 

Shikamaru frowned. “Even if it hurts someone?”

 

Asuma turned to Shikamaru and nodded. “Damn near everything hurts. Love is the one thing that shouldn’t, Kiddo. If you’re hurting from something, if it’s making you unhappy, then it’s not worth lying about, and you’re just wasting everyone’s time,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru: Your Familiar Face, Native Construct
> 
> Asuma: Rrrrrollin, Imperial Leisure
> 
> Naru: Fxxk Boyz Get Money, FEMM


	59. Naru, Memeories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naru: You’re Not My DAD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m not even gonna pretend I read this over cause I just wrote and posted

Naru was gritting her teeth, glaring at her clasped hands.  _ Finely, Sharply.  _ Her chakra was running low. She was sweaty. Yamato was looking exhausted. Kakashi had sweet talked him into making him a bench and was napping on it.

 

“What, you really can’t figure it out?” Soda scoffed from across the field. Naru shot a dirty look over her shoulder at him. 

 

“Did I personally request your opinion?” She growled. Sora was staring into her mass of clones and looking right at her. He was smirking. She was considering murder.

 

“You know I figured this out by myself when I was thirteen,” 

 

“When I was thirteen I mastered the rasengan in three days for a bet to instate the current hokage, learned to summon toads, was murdered twice by my best friend and wasn’t a complete fucking asshole,” Naru snapped, “But keep that smug ass look on your face, boy wonder,”

 

Sora sniffed loudly as though he doubted everything she said. She rolled her eyes.

 

“I just gotta get the hang ‘a stuff,” She muttered through gritted teeth, “Once I figure something out I can do it with both hands walking backward with… my… eyes…  _ closed… _ ”

 

Something happened between her palms. She felt something change. She opened her hands slowly...

 

The leaf clasped in between her hands was shredded finely, as though someone had taken scissors to it. Naru hopped up and down happily, punching the air and sending little pieces of leaf fluttering over her. “Can you believe I did it?”

 

“No,” Sora said coldly. Naru looked around as the other clones all took peeks at their leaves and half of them pouted. 

 

“What did you do?” the one nearest to Naru asked. The clone on the other side threw her leaf pieces up and laughed.

 

“Ah,” Naru laughed, rubbing the back of her neck, “maybe get a little bit angry?”

 

The other clone nodded briefly, before gritting her teeth and tensing her muscles, focusing hard. “Sasuke!” She growled under her breath. She straightened up, staring at her hands. She opened them, and her leaf was there, cleanly cut in half. Naru beamed at her other self. 

 

“See?” She laughed. The clone looked over at her. 

 

“We should probably go back now, huh?”

 

“Yeah, probably,” She said. They both dissipated. 

 

Naru, the original Naru, was struck with the chain reaction of all her clones snapping back into her head at once, an experience so dizzying that she staggered and fell over backward, panting in an attempt to catch her breath. Across the field, from the place where Yamato sat, she heard a relieved sigh. 

 

She groaned, trying to sit up despite her spinning head and the sudden feedback loop of the same situation from hundreds of different perspectives. Her stomach lurched, and she dry heaved, leaning forward and squeezing her eyes shut. “Oh… gods… that sucks,”

 

“Well. Looks like that’s a little too much even for you, huh?” Sora laughed. Naru cracked one eye open and peered up at him.

 

“Anyone ever tell you you got a punchable face?” 

 

“I don’t think I need to be told at this point,” He said, indicating his broken nose. She laughed. 

 

“Fair point,” She said, struggling to her feet. She looked out over the field and her eyes landed on Kakashi, asleep on the bench Yamato had made him. She felt her face split into a grin, and then walked a few paces closer to him, muffling her footsteps as well as she could. When she was only a few feet away from him, she hunkered down, ready to leap away at any second, and brought her hands around her mouth.

 

She screamed at the top of her lungs, and Kakashi leapt to his feet, pulling out a knife and glaring around. He glared at Naru, who was crouched and ready to sprint for her life, grinning like an idiot at him.

 

“Naru-kun! What the-“

 

And she fell over, laughing her head off at the look on (what she could see of) his face. He relaxed, looking down at her in pure exasperation. After a minute, she propped herself up on her elbows and grinned up at him.

 

“Sorry, Kakashi-sensei, it was too good an opportunity to pass up,” 

 

Kakashi looked over at Yamato, who was leaning back against one of his pillars and panting for breath. “Mm. I think we should leave the second part of your training for tomorrow. Give T- Yamato a break,”

 

“Okay,” Naru said, “Do you know what time it is?” 

 

“Five,” Kakashi said without, as far as Naru could tell, checking. “Why? Got a date?”

 

Sora snorted, looking at Kakashi like he’d just gotten a good dig in. Kakashi looked at him oddly, then back to Naru. Naru rolled her eyes. “Kakashi-sensei you know I don’t  _ date _ ,”

 

Kakashi shrugged. “Shikamaru might be into something, I’m beginning to think you work too much,”

 

“My survival and the survival of my friends depends entirely upon my work,” Naru pointed out, “I’d be neglecting my duty to Konoha if I didn’t train hard,”

 

Yamato pointed at her. “She has a point, Kakashi-senpai,”

 

Naru glanced at him and grinned. “Yeah, Kakashi- _ senpai _ , I have a point, Kakashi- _ senpai, _ ”

 

“You are not too old to get tied to a stump,”

 

“You can’t tie me up,” Naru said, stretching, “I have to go to dinner with team ten to pay Asuma back for his advice,”

 

Yamato and Kakashi straightened up. “He’s making you pay him?” Yamato snapped.

 

“You’re having a team dinner with another team?” 

 

“Were we going to have a team dinner that I didn’t know about?” Naru laughed, looking up at Kakashi. He crossed his arms. 

 

“Maa, well, we aren’t now,” He said. Naru shook her head and struggled to her feet. 

 

“Well I’m going to go home and change,” She said, “Come on Wonder Boy, we gotta go get some clothes that belong to me,”

 

“Whose clothes are those?” He asked as she jogged forward and scooped up her bag. She waved over her shoulder at Kakashi and Yamato as she left the training ground, Sora tailing her closely.

 

“A friend’s,”

 

“They’re like… too small and too big all at once,” He pointed out, frowning. Naru laughed.

 

“ _ I’m  _ too small and too big all at once,” She lead him back past the training grounds. Tenten had left, but team eight were all lying in the middle of the grounds, looking up at the sky and talking. Naru didn’t interrupt. She just lead Sora back through town, laughing as she saw a group of genin chasing a cat down the street. She looked over at Sora. “Everyone gets that damn cat,”

 

Sora didn’t respond. He just gave her a look that she ignored. She lead him into her apartment, smiling as she fished out the keys from her pocket and unlocked it, swinging the door open and looking around at it. It was all still there. Not some bizarre dream. 

 

She grinned and set her bag down in front of the dresser, beginning to unpack it into the drawers. Naru pulled off Shikamaru’s shirt and was kicking off her sandals when she heard a shout from the other side of the room. She looked up, surprised. Sora was covering his eyes and shouting wordlessly.

 

“What are you doing?” She asked, untying the string on the borrowed sweatpants she was wearing.

 

“You’re getting naked!”

 

“I told you I was changing,” She said, tilting her head as she pulled on a very old pair of baggy sweatpants- (or they used to be baggy. Now the thighs were almost tight, and they were too short to reach her ankles). Sora turned his back to her, muttering something about being scarred for life. Naru laughed. “You live in a monastery,” She pointed out, “you’ve seen shirtless people before. And don’t they suck all your hormones outta your ears there anyway? Look on all mankind the same and all that?”

 

“Well you’re not mankind,” Sora snapped as she pulled on an old t-shirt and ruffled her hair. “You’re not even fully human,”

 

“I’m surprised they told you that over there,” She said calmly as she pocketed her wallet and her keys, “Most places don’t know who the Jinchuriki here is,”

 

“What’s a Jinchuriki?” Sora snapped. Naru hesitated, and looked over at him. 

 

“Wait… If you didn’t know I was a Jinchuriki, then why all the monster shit you’ve been spouting?”

 

“Because… you’re… you’re  _ wrong _ . I can smell it on you,”

 

**_HE DARES CALL YOU WRONG WHEN HE IS SIMPLY AND AMALGAMATION OF REFUSE AND FAILURE._ **

 

_ I have no clue what you’re saying, old man. _

 

“That’s just my deodorant,” Naru said calmly, “It was the only one they stocked back in Anovi,”

 

Sora shot her a dirty look, and she smiled at him. 

 

“Like I said before. If you wanna surprise me, pick another emotion. I’ve had enough blind hatred and bigotry for a lifetime,” She shrugged and pointed at the door, “I’ll give you a tour of Konohagakure before dinner. C’mon,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Super America, The Bad Bad Hats (I’ve used this before)
> 
> Sora: Tell That Devil, Jill Andrews (and this one)


	60. Ino, What's She Got That I Don't Have?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ino... no don't do that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this i a maximally skippable chapter and that's because I had a bad day lmao

Naru had NOTHING to offer. She was loud and burly and obnoxious and there was NO reason that Sakura was neglecting Ino in favour of spending time with her. 

 

_ Sure _ there was something in the way her eyes flashed mischievously as she nudged Shikamaru’s chopsticks away with her own and winked at him that would make  _ anyone’s  _ stomach lurch, and her lips were obviously soft and yielding, but other than that-

 

Well other than that,  _ and _ the thick, winding muscles in her arms that could set off a fight or flight response all on their own, there was  _ nothing _ special about Naruto Uzumaki. So  _ why _ was half of Konoha in love with her?

 

Naru giggled. It was adorable and  _ infuriating. _ She bit her bottom lip and fidgeted, then looked up at Asuma. “Hey, thanks for teaching me, even if you’re making me pay for it,”

 

Asuma laughed, Shovelling some meat onto his plate and then squinting at her in an exaggerated way. “Hm, is that bitterness I hear in your tone?”

 

“Me? Bitter? Never!” Naru laughed, looking over at Shikamaru and winking. Shikamaru actually  _ blushed _ . Ino felt irritation begin to build in her chest. She’d hung out with Shikamaru in every possible situation in the last four years. That included him with his girlfriend. 

 

He  _ never _ blushed. And that meant he was lying. He was lying to himself and he was lying to Temari. Ino chewed on the inside of her cheek as Choji ordered more food. Asuma frowned.

 

“Take it easy, kiddo!” Asuma scolded, “you don’t need that much,”

 

Naru turned slowly toward him, her eyes narrowed. The air at the table thickened. “I think that if he wants that much food he can have that much food,” She said, her voice low and her smile fixed, “considering you aren’t paying, I don’t see a problem. And on top of that, Choji-chan’s family jutsu requires a surplus of stored calories, which is why he’s still with us after he  _ damn near _ sacrificed himself four years ago so that _ I  _ could try to get Sasuke back. By the way,” She turned and stared at Choji with nothing but fire and determination in her eyes, “every day I thank you for your sacrifice and  _ wish _ that I was as brave as you are, and on top of that, I feel ashamed that I failed you all on that mission. Every moment I think about it, I feel nothing  _ but _ shame. I’m sorry, Choji-chan,”

 

Choji was looking at her with wide eyes. “Uh… thanks, Naru-chan… I… Okay. Could you pass the soy sauce please?”

 

“Yeah, no problem,” She said, passing the little glass bottle to him as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. 

 

The way that Shikamaru was looking at her was frankly nauseating. He looked like nothing on this earth could outshine her. 

 

And his stupid brainiac ass had a  _ girlfriend. _

 

And Naru wasn’t anything special! She was just some buff kid who couldn’t bite her tongue! Ino narrowed her eyes at Shikamaru. He nudged his little slice of beef across his plate, playing with his food like a child. Asuma was also eyeing Naru, but in the same way a parent eyes their child when they’re trying to come up with a good reply. Almost proud. 

 

Ino was really getting angry now. The weird boy, Naru’s mission, huffed loudly. They all looked at him.

 

“I keep hearing that name. Sasuke, Sasuke, who is he? Someone who finally had enough of your shit and hightailed it?”

 

Ino glared at him, and she wasn’t the only one either. Every eye at the table was staring the monk boy down. 

 

“Hey, maybe don’t bring that up,” Asuma suggested lightly, resting one hand on Naru’s broad, tense shoulder. Naru sucked in a deep breath. 

 

“Wonder Boy, shut your fucking mouth before I feed you your teeth,” 

 

Shikamaru was white knuckling his chopsticks, looking at Naru like he wanted to take her away. Ino chewed the inside of her cheek. This was it. She was fucking mad. 

 

“Shikamaru, wipe that look off your face,” She snapped. All eyes snapped onto her. She stood up, glaring at all of them. “You should be ashamed of yourself for playing Temari like this. It’s bad enough when Naru does it, and she’s too stupid to know what she’s doing, and she hasn’t even committed to anyone!”

 

Naru straightened up, looking at Ino, her face surprised, but Ino pressed on.

 

“But you aren’t stupid and you knew exactly what was going on this whole damn time, but you still did it, and that’s  _ fucked. _ ”

 

“Ino! What the hell are you talking about?” Shikamaru snapped, glaring at her warningly. Ino snarled. 

 

“You think you can play the whole board all by yourself, huh? That you’re the only one who can move the pieces on both sides? Well guess what?”

 

Naru was sitting stock-still, staring up at Ino like she was worried about every word that could come out of her mouth next. Ino smirked.  _ Good. Feel that fear. _

 

“I got there before you did,” Ino laughed, pointing at Naru, “Just ask her,”

 

Naru’s eyes got a little wider, and she looked around frantically before swallowing and clearing her throat. “Uh, Ino, please sit back down? Kissing isn’t a big deal, it doesn’t mean anything. Friends kiss all the time,”

 

“But I didn’t kiss you like a friend, did I Naru?” She barked, slamming her hands on the table. Asuma was gaining that look on his face that meant he was about to put a stop to whatever was happening, but Ino knew she had another half minute before he called it. She was about to go in for the kill, to really rip Shikamaru a new one with it all, but Sora snorted.

 

“No one would willingly put their mouth on Naru unless it was that lady who tried to suck her soul out,”

 

Naru relaxed, but she was the only one. Shikamaru looked at Sora so quickly that Ino was surprised his neck didn’t break. “Excuse me  _ what _ ?”

 

Asuma sighed and rested his head in his hands. “Oh, no,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ino: Girl Crush, Little Big Town
> 
> Naru: Prom Queen, Beach Bunny (fuck you it's a good ass song and I'll use it again)
> 
> Shikamaru: Hot Knife, Fiona Apple


	61. Naru, You're Tearing This Family Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and the award for accidental manipulation goes too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru. Duh.

This dinner was not going well. Naru has decided her best course of action was to try to shovel as much food into her body as possible and hopefully trigger Asuma’s weird kid-eating-too-much-food alarm. Sadly, he seemed preoccupied with trying to keep Shikamaru calm as Sora regaled him with the story of the mission Naru had last been on.

 

He had already looked ready to shadow possess someone at Ino’s outburst, but now, hearing about Sora sugarcoating how he’d broken her arm and she’d smashed his head, then fixed his nose and wandered off, only to be found having her life sucked out of her mouth…

 

He was looking at Sora like murder wasn’t a crime. Naru was just beginning to feel her protective instincts kicking in, because he was her mission, even if she wanted to hurl him into space.

 

But then Shikamaru turned to her, his eyes sharp. “What happened?”

 

Sora looked a little insulted that his explanation hadn’t been enough. Naru took a deep breath. “I fought with that lady and lost. She used some kinda mouth to mouth praying-mantis jutsu and tried to suck my chakra out. I passed out and woke up in the hospital,”

 

Shikamaru scowled. “You left on your own?”

 

“Well… yeah. Sora told me he didn’t want to go anywhere with me, so I left. I’m not going to pretend it was a smart idea, but you know me. And he was uh… being difficult,” She felt her face fall a little against her will.  _ Don’t pout because someone doesn’t like you.  _

 

**_NO, DON’T POUT. JUST MURDER HIM._ **

 

“I don’t know,” she said, forcing herself to smile and shrugging. “Guess I just made another stupid move, huh?” She laughed.

 

Shikamaru took in her face, frowning. He turned to Asuma, brow furrowed, “And you didn’t keep her safe?” 

 

“We got seperated, Shikamaru,” Asuma said, looking like he was nearing the end of his rope. Shikamaru bit down on his straw. Ino was glaring daggers at Sora. Naru pushed more food into her mouth and hummed loudly, trying to distract everyone at the table from what was going on.

 

They weren’t distracted. Shikamaru was glaring at her again, but not in a Stop-Eating-So-Loud way, more like I’m-Never-Letting-You-Out-Of-My-Sight-Again. She shot him her best cagey, mischievous smile back. 

 

“I don’t think that that’s really an excuse,” He grumbled. Ino was looking at Naru now too. Choji was chewing slowly, eyes flicking between each person at the table as he picked up another piece of beef from the grill. Naru swallowed and sighed. 

 

“I have to go,” She said, standing up and pulling out her wallet, dumping the contents onto the table. She looked at Asuma, and flashed him a smile. “Thanks for the tips, Chinstrap,”

 

“What did you just call me?” Asuma snapped, straightening up and glaring at her. She grinned.

 

“Chinstrap. That’s what uh…” she pointed at her face, “that’s called, right?” She winked at Shikamaru and Ino and walked backward away from the table, pushing her hands into the pockets of her sweats and laughing, “I’ll catch you guys on the flip, okay? I gotta go home and uh… do some reading, c’mon Sora,”she said, with a jerk of her head. Sora frowned, looking over at Asuma like he’d love nothing better than to stay. Asuma cleared his throat. 

 

“Alright, Broadside, hold on,”

 

Naru held on, grinning.  _ Broadside? _ “What’s good?” She asked, tilting her head. Asuma smiled, bringing his cup to his lips. 

 

“Day trade. I keep hearing that you ‘ _ never stop working _ .’ I’ll babysit Sora for the rest of the day if you take some damn time off,”

 

Naru frowned, and glanced at Sora. “I don’t have enough damn money to be passing on jobs right now. Training doesn’t pay the bills,”

 

Asuma waved her off. “You’ll still get the money from it, I just can’t stand these kids complaining about you anymore. Go sort all your shit out and then come get Sora when you’re done,”

 

“You’ll babysit for free?”

 

“Will you stop calling guard duty babysitting?” Sora snapped. Asuma laughed. Naru smiled.

 

“Okay, okay. What’re you guys gonna go and get up to now?” She asked the other three, all jammed onto one side of the booth. Ino squinted at her. 

 

“We normally go to the movies after dinner,” She said. Naru couldn’t stop herself from pouting. 

 

“I can’t go to the movies… I just spent all my money on dinner…”

 

Both Shikamaru and Ino stood and put their hands on the table, yelling in unison. “I’ll pay!”

 

Naru couldn’t help the shock that took over her features, but then laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I guess it’s the movies, then!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Bills, grandson
> 
> Shikamaru: The Girl Next Door (To Everybody Else), Watsky (this is such a fucking *** guy song but like its such a mood)
> 
> Ino: Crushed, CLEWS
> 
> Choji: Just sit there and eat your food


	62. Choji, The Movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Choji thinks a lot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is very rushed

It was awkward being around Naru and the others. It wasn’t really how it was when they were kids, but Choji wasn’t really sure that had changed. Naru acted like she always had- or near enough to it, anyway, shouting at the top of her lungs and laughing loud enough that passers by stared incredulously at her. There was a strange undertone, though, with her actions toward both Shikamaru and Ino. She avoided eye contact, where she never had before, and where she’d always been very physically affectionate, but she seemed to be subconsciously shying away from both of them.

 

Shikamaru’s hand seemed to twitch toward her more than once, but never really strayed away from his side. There was a general air of unspoken feelings between them all. Choji bought two extra large buckets of popcorn, one for him and one for the other three. They probably wouldn’t finish it, but that was fine. Shikamaru hardly ever ate popcorn at the movies. 

 

Naru was a wildcard though. She’d already made a dent by the time they entered the theatre. There was an awkward pause as they all tried to figure out where to sit. Naru seemed focussed on how the screen looked from each row, climbing back over the seats until she was satisfied and flumping down into one in the dead center of the row and making grabby hands at Ino, who was holding their popcorn tub. Choji eyed Ino and Shikamaru, who were each looking at the seats either side of her. Shikamaru  _ always _ sat in the middle of them, but none of them wanted to make Naru sit on the outside. 

 

Choji sat one seat over from her and looked up at Shikamaru, silently patting the seat between them. Shikamaru paused again for a fraction of a second before taking it, and Ino sat in the seat on Naru’s other side. 

 

_ Logistical issues solved. _

 

The movie was okay. Choji finished his popcorn halfway through and considered going and getting more, but he didn’t want to disrupt everyone else in the theatre. And so he sat, twiddling his thumbs and trying to ignore how tense the group felt, and how oblivious Naru was. 

 

They finished the movie without having any further problems, and Naru was bright eyed and excitedly talking about it and running ahead. Enthusiasm took over her whole body. Emotions, when experienced by Naruto Uzumaki, were expressed in every cell. She was a conductor for the honest expression of emotion.

 

_ Maybe that’s why everyone feels drawn to her. As shinobi, honesty and emotions are an exotic luxury. _

 

Naru turned her back, her hands coming to rest behind her head as she let out a loud laugh. Then she froze. It was like someone had hit pause on her and her alone. 

 

Shikamaru tensed up. He reached out, he caught her arm. “Naru?”

 

Naru lowered her hands to her sides, and they became fists somewhere in between. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. 

 

“Naru, what’s wrong?”

  
“They’re  _ here, _ ”


	63. Naru, If You Can't Take The Heat, Don't Kiss It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru murders someone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry i didn't post yesterday! i'm the literal worst and my remorse is bone deep

**_GET YOUR WEAKLINGS TO SAFETY AND FIND YOUR ENEMIES. THE ABOMINATION CANNOT FACE THESE ENEMIES UNSUPERVISED. THE BEARDED ONE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUBDUE HIM._ **

 

_ Learn some fucking names, Kurama. _ Naru thought angrily as she spun on the spot to glare at team ten. She straightened up and pointed at each of them. “Go to the Hokage’s dome. Warn her we’ve got some shit that’s about to go down. It’s the team that put me in hospital. I’m going to go and find Asuma-sensei and Sora. They need to be warned and are some of the only people who know what we’re up against. Sai and Sakura need to be summoned to Baa-chan too,” 

 

Shikamaru looked furious. “What the hell are you talking about?”

 

“Just trust me, something’s coming and it’s not going to be good. Please, Shikamaru-kun-“

 

“I’m going with you,” He snapped, grabbing her arm gently. She broke his grip quickly and caught Choji’s eye. 

 

“Don’t let him follow me. Go warn Tsunade-baa-chan, she needs a good strategist-“

 

“She can find my Dad,” Shikamaru said, reacting out for her again. She gritted her teeth and grasped his wrist.

 

“Go. Don’t make me waste any more time, Shikamaru. Go to the Hokage. Keep her safe. Do your job. I’m going to go and do mine,”

 

Shikamaru swallowed, his expression softening. “Stay alive,”

 

Naru let herself grin and let out a laugh. She let go of his wrist and started backing toward the nearest building. “Oh, I don’t think I can do anything else,”  She leapt up onto the roof and looked back at Ino and Choji. “Keep him safe, and keep yourselves safe too,”

 

Then she turned and sprinted off.  _ Kurama, I’m guessing you can sense Sora. Where’s he at? _

 

**_THE ABOMINATION IS NEAR THE LIBRARY, BUT I’D GO TO ‘ASUMA’ FIRST._ ** Kurama growled in an almost mocking tone,  **_HE HAS ALREADY BEEN ACCOSTED._ **

 

_ They got separated? _ Naru thought, feeling panic well up in her chest. She drew to a halt as Kurama ramped up her sensory system. They’d done this before, but having a large amount of demonic chakra blasted into your frontal lobe was a little overwhelming. The breeze suddenly felt like an attack. The world was too bright. Every sound was deafening. She closed her eyes and reached out, feeling for Asuma’s chakra. He was north west. Someone familiar was with him. Not good. One of the grave robbers. The one who’d ridden the casket and broken her arm. She clenched her fist at the phantom pain her memory carried.

 

**_NOT BY A VERY LARGE DISTANCE, BUT YES._ **

 

_ So much for him taking over for me.  _ She thought as she began sprinting over rooftops.  _ And Pops? _

 

**_KIT?_ **

 

_ Dial it back on the superpowers. I can’t see straight and my footsteps are giving me a headache.  _

 

**_YOU’RE ALWAYS FINDING FAULT. ‘TOO MUCH SOUND, STOP TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE,’ YOU SHOULD APPRECIATE ALL I DO FOR YOU, KIT._ **

 

_ I do appreciate it.  _ She leapt over an alleyway and rolled as she landed, duckign through a raised water tower and pausing, looking around herself again.  _ Do you feel that? _

 

**_OBVIOUSLY. IT’S THE SOUL SUCKER. SHE’S BEHIND YOU._ **

 

Naru turned in time to see the woman climbing up a staircase she was raising from the ground as she walked. She smiled serenely at NAru as she stepped onto the rooftop, her red hair flowing elegantly behind her. 

 

“Oh, look, it’s the little breeze,” She laughed, “Come here and let me finish my job. I’m not going to be caught off guard by you again,”

 

“I don’t know about that,” Naru said, trying to sound cocky.  _ Pop! What did we do last time that caught her off gaurd? _

 

**_YOU FAINTED. THEN SHE FELT MY CHAKRA._ **

 

_ Oh, that was it? _

 

**_EXCUSE YOU, MY CHAKRA IS NOT SOMETHING TO SIMPLY BE DISMISSED._ **

 

_ Yeah, yeah, I get it. So… wanna get this over with quickly? _

 

**_ALLOW ME._ **

 

Naru’s face split into a grin as Kurama’s chakra began to overtake her, her every pore emitting it. “You wanna some? C’mere. I got plenty,” She snarled, her voice dropping and becoming monstrous as Kurama’s chakra shredded them. The woman paused, and Naru threw herself at her, full body tackling her. “Do you drain chakra no matter what?” Naru tilted her head as she broke the woman’s wrist. She stared up at Naru in horror. Naru slammed her head back into the roof by her hair and grinned at her. “Would this kill you?” She asked, pulling her chakra forward, into her hand, and slapping it over the woman’s mouth. She pushed it into her body, and she started to shake and scream under her. The woman squeezed her eyes shut, and her hair was suddenly writhing too, tangling and matting behind her head as she kicked out pathetically, trying to throw Naru off. Naru just forced more of Kurama’s chakra into her face, and in another thirty seconds, her skin started to burn. She went limp, but Naru kept going. The smell of burning hair filled her nostrils as the long, red strands burst into flames. 

 

When she stopped breathing Naru stood, looking down at the woman’s charred body. She snorted. “Don’t kiss people without permission,” 

 

She dragged the body off the roof and dumped it into the street where it struck with a sickening thud, broken and burned, so that it would be found, and then went back to tracking Asuma down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: I Am The Fire, Halestorm


	64. Asuma, Sometimes Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you live long enough you're bound to be wrong about something. -me, right now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, Asuma, for giving me an excuse to write this next fight

 

Asuma was crouched, glaring at Kazuma, unrecognisable in his fake priest garb and with his crazed look. He blocked another strike and lept back, pacing sideways, circling him. Something was very wrong with the border of Konoha. It was like they’d erected an invisible shield. But why would they try to shield Konoha from their attack?

 

“What’s your game here, Kazuma?”

 

“The same as it was all those years ago, Asuma,” he laughed, “I’m going to unite the land of fire,”

 

Asuma paused. He remembered the last time they’d fought, with Chiriku at his side, the friends he’d lost trying to stop Kazuma from killing the hokage. How he’d thought that he’d killed him- how Chiriku had taken on raising Sora out of guilt. 

 

How he’d had to murder his friend to save his father. How he’d wondered if he’d even done the right thing. “You’re going to try to kill the Hokage again? Because it worked so well last time, huh?” Asuma spat, deflecting more blows. Kazuma laughed. 

 

“No, no,” He rushed forward, locking with Asuma and grinning at him. He smelled like dirt and death and sweet potatoes. “I’m not going to kill the hokage,” He narrowed his eyes, “I’m going to destroy all of Konoha. You’re blocked in. I set my men and the dead members of the guardian shinobi twelve loose. They’re destabilising all the power sources in konoha as we speak. By the time you and I are done here and Sora’s done what he was born to do, konoha will be all set to be blasted off the gods-damned map,”

 

Asuma felt a chill run through his body. He stared at Kazuma in shock. “You’re going to destroy an entire village? You think that’s going to unify the land of fire? A land that isn’t even  _ divided? _ ”

 

“The land of fire  _ is  _ divided!” Kazuma barked, shoving him back. “We cannot have two kings!”

 

“Well I’ll tell you what,” Asuma snarled, “How about I divide your head from your body, huh? You’ll never beat Konoha. There’s too many strong ninja here. The hokage, the other jonin, even my own students! Even… even other people’s students are stronger than anything you could throw at them,” he spat, swiping out with his blade and forcing Kazuma to flip backward, away from him. 

 

“If you’re talking about a few brats and the jinchuriki, like I said before. It’s the job that Sora was  _ born _ for,”

 

“What do you mean?” Asuma asked, hesitating too long and taking a heavy blow to his ribs. He felt them crack as he slammed into a nearby tree. Kazuma laughed.

 

“The boy’s a psuedo jinchuriki. We gathered the leftover chakra from the ninetails attack sixteen years ago and bound it to the kid. He’s a perfect match for your village’s little weapon. Maybe even more so, because he doesn’t have any control,”

 

Asuma stared at Kazuma, horror rising in his throat like bile. “You… you did that to your own son?”

 

Kazuma didn’t react at all. “A small price to pay for unity in the land of fire,”

 

“Unity?  _ Unity? _ This is your child we’re talking about! You betrayed him and you betrayed the land of fire! How-”

 

“ _ How could I _ ? Asuma, old friend, you sound like a broken record,” He turned and called out at the top of his lungs, “Sora! It’s time,”

 

Asuma whipped one of his blades at the back of Kazuma’s head, and he only just deflected it in time as he turned, the effort shattering his staff. He swore, glaring at the pieces as they fell to his feet. Asuma twirled his remaining blade around his finger and then gripped it. 

 

“It’s time for something alright,”

 

But just then, Sora came leaping down from a nearby roof. The ground shattered under his feet. His hair was in his face and his features were shadowed from view. That was, until he looked up, and Asuma could see his eyes, black and rimmed with red- a red almost like Naru’s eyes took on when she lost control. Asuma held up one hand to him.

 

“Sora. Don’t do this-”

 

“You knew who I was and you didn’t  _ tell me? _ ” Sora snarled, “ _ You killed my father! _ ” 

 

“I didn’t- Well, I did think that I had, but… I… Well, I can’t really explain this right now, it was a complicated-”

 

“Shut up!” He roared, his lips curling into a snarl, “How could you?”

 

Kazuma just grinned as his son made to charge at Asuma. Asuma braced himself, not willing to hurt Sora, ready to die-

 

But then there was an earth shaking crash, and Naru was suddenly in front of Sora, bringing the smell of burning and holding Sora in the air by the front of his shirt, her teeth bared, her eyes red, and the earth shattered under her feet. The air was ten degrees hotter than it had been before, and the grass near her feet was beginning to wilt.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

 

The voice had come from Naru… but it wasn’t Naru’s. It was some deep, beastly growl, the result of shredded vocals chords and something deeper. Something  _ wrong. _ Something powerful and ancient.

 

“Get out of the way,” Sora snarled, his eyes meeting hers.

 

“Looks like we’re both monsters after all, Sora. Glad to see you off your high horse, wonder boy,” She whipped him back into a nearby wall, and the building collapsed around him. Naru looked over her shoulder at Asuma, who was holding his broken ribs and gaping at her. “You good?” She asked, her voice still demonic. He nodded.

 

“Shikamaru really is always right,” He said, flashing her a weak smile. She blinked. 

 

“Not always,” She said, turning back to face Sora, who was shaking off rubble like dust and looking furious. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asuma: You're Going Down, Sick Puppies
> 
> Kazuma: Comfort Eagle, Cake
> 
> Naru: Freak Like Me, Halestorm
> 
> Sora: Bitch Came Back, Theory Of A Deadman (because it makes me roll my eyes just like Sora does)


	65. Naru, Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru has to do something she doesn’t want to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m drunk again!!!!

Sora was looking at her like he wanted to kill her. There was a lot of people over the years who had looked like that. It was in the eyes, and the way their mouths twitched. There was murder in an expression like that.

 

She wondered for a moment if that was how she looked. If there was bloodlust in her features as he stalked toward her. If her snarl looked  _ hungry _ like that. She shook herself, crouching slightly, and she struggled to use her shredded voice again.

 

“I don’t want to fight you, Sora. If I do fight you, I can’t guarantee that you’ll survive. I’m already…” Her voice broke and turned into a scream at that point.  _ Fuck. Really, pops? You couldn’t let it hold out a little longer? _

 

**_IT’S NOT MY FAULT YOUR HUMAN VOCAL CHORDS CAN’T HANDLE MY POWER. ALSO, I JUST WANT YOU TO KILL HIM ALREADY._ **

 

_ Thanks, man. You suck. _

 

Sora screamed back and launched himself at her, sending them crashing into the forest. She reached up and grasped his shoulders, twisting and driving her knee hard into his stomach. He lurched forward and blood came pouring out of her mouth, splattering on her face and drying on impact. She grabbed his throat and squeezed.

 

“Listen to me you dumb motherfucker. You think you’re the only person with dead parents? You think you’re the only sad bastard on this planet? you think you can just sit here and try to tell me you deserve to kill people who upset you because you had a-“ She yanked him up, off of her, slamming him into a nearby tree. “rough childhood? Guess what? Everyone in the world has a rough childhood. We live in a world where we watch someone die every week. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, everyone has seen someone die. Everyone is missing someone. Loss doesn’t make you special,” She grasped his ankle and whipped him into a nearby boulder, a loud crack echoing through the air as something probably broke. 

 

“You don’t get it,”

 

“I never knew my parents. Everyone in this village avoided my for eleven years. my teacher was the first person to treat me like a human. You aren’t special. You aren’t unique in your suffering. Everyone has scars. You just can’t handle yours properly,” 

 

Sora glared at her, laying on the ground, panting for breath. She glared at him. “You have no idea-“ He was standing, bruised, broken, hunched over, black chakra bubbling from his pores. “You could never know,” He snarled, reaching out, gripping her shoulders, shoving her back, punching her, throwing her back, forcing her to the ground. He grabbed her face, and began pushing it forward, toward thin air…

 

Or it had seemed like that, until she noticed that every tree branch that had crossed that particular inch of space had been sliced clear off. The tips of her hair sizzled as it neared the invisible border, She strained against him, pressure building in her face as she pushed against him. He snarled into her face.

 

She gritted her teeth as he forced her face nearer the border. She tilted her head, and her brow hit the edge, the pain blinding as her skin and hair burned.

 

a quarter of her face was badly burned when she forced herself upward, slamming her skull against his and hearing a crack. He toppled over, and she saw her own blood smeared across his face. When he opened his eyes again, she saw no trace of Sora. He was entirely gone. 

 

All that was left was the body of the boy and something that felt… it felt…

 

**_AN OBNOXIOUS AND PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT A COPY._ **

 

_ Yeah. _

 

**_YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM WHEN I FIRST TOLD YOU TO._ **

 

_ That’s not him. _

 

**_IT’S WHAT HE BECAME._ **

 

Naru reached out. She grasped his throat. There was nothing in his eyes as she broke his arm with her free hand. “SORA!” She screamed in his face, searching, wishing for him. He wasn’t there. She twisted her hand. She broke his neck.

 

He dropped to the ground and stayed there. 

 

He wasn’t a real jinchuriki, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 Years Time, Noah And The Whale


	66. Asuma, And The Kids Of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru is a lil scary in this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m sorry I didn’t post yesterday because I worked and then my family was like ‘yay let’s go eat dinner’ and i was just so damn tired. Inventory sucks.

Asuma threw Kazuma back, over the rubble from Naru and Sora’s fight. His head cracked back against a rock and he groaned. Asuma straightened up, looking back at the woods where Naru and Sora has disappeared. 

 

It was quiet. Too quiet.

 

He ran his blade through Kazuma’s shoulder, pinning him down, and looked around again. Kazuma was screaming and swearing, but beyond that, the woods were silent.

 

Naru eventually came back through the trees, holding Sora in her arms. Asuma gaped at her. His neck was bent oddly, too sharply. His limbs were limp and he wasn’t moving at all. Naru was looking ahead, her face...

 

When Asuma saw her face his whole body went cold. She was entirely expressionless. There was no feeling as she lay the body down on the ground with a tenderness he hadn’t seen from her before. Then, faster than Asuma could process, she was standing over Kazuma, pulling Asuma’s blade from his shoulder and discarding it. She grabbed him by the hair and yanked him upward, so that he was on a level with her expressionless face.

 

“Why did that happen? He was gone. He wasn’t in there anymore. What did you do?”

 

Kazuma laughed weakly, wincing as the movement made Naru tighten her grip. “He couldn’t take it. He wasn’t strong enough, I suppose, to house the Kyuubi’s clone and stay sane. When he broke his seal, he died, and the clone took his body over. I don’t know what I was expecting, after all, he was just a pathetic-“

 

But Naru just reached forward with her free hand and ripped his throat out with her bare hand, dropping Kazuma unceremoniously, her face still a blank mask. She tossed his throat back at him, and turned to Asuma.

 

“Regrettably, Sora is dead,” She said, “who was that man?” She said, pointing at Kazuma, still twitching at their feet. Asuma swallowed.

 

“I… He was a comrade of mine a long time ago. And he was Sora’s father,”

 

“Thought his dad was dead,”

 

“He wasn’t. I thought he was too, but… he is now, I guess,”

 

“He did that thing to Sora? He was the one who made Sora like me? Even though Sora was his son?”

 

Asuma swallowed. There was a creeping suspicion making its way up Asuma’s spine that it wasn’t  _ just _ Kazuma, but the tacky blood dripping from Naru’s hand was beginning to make a pool at her side, and her face was still a mask. She was staring him down. He lit a cigarette. 

 

“He was,” He said, nodding. Naru nodded back. 

 

“Mm. I can feel that most of the fighting is already over with. When he died, the jutsu he did to reanimate the guardians ended. They’re dead again. His other teammates died quickly. It was a bad plan, really. That’s what you get for following an idiot like this,” She turned and kicked Kazuma’s body, the sound of his bones splitting the air as more blood came splattering out of his open throat, his eyes staring blankly at the sky. Naru turned back to Asuma, and he tried to find any hint of her usual self in her red eyes, “If you’d like, we could take Sora’s body somewhere. I think we should bury him here in Konoha,”

 

Asuma frowned at her. “You can… you can just tell that kinda shit?” He blew the smoke down wind and looked at her. She shrugged. 

 

“Chakra sensing. It…” She paused, her eyes almost glazing over. She was quiet. Too quiet. Her lips fell together, her brow furrowed ever so slightly. Her mask seemed to break. Her shoulders almost imperceptibly relaxed. Asuma frowned. 

 

“You okay Broadside?” 

 

Naru looked back up at him, seeming to snap out of her reverie. She looked almost like a person interrupted mid conversation. “Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Just…” She looked around, her eyes landing on Sora’s body. “A little shaken up…”

 

Asuma turned and looked back at the boy’s corpse too. “I think we should take him back to the fire temple. They raised him,”

 

“He seemed like he hated it there,”

 

“Chiriku will be distraught. He viewed him like a son,”

 

Naru frowned. “I’m sorry that I did it. He didn’t deserve to die,”

 

“You said he was gone when you did it. That he wasn’t there anymore,” 

 

Naru touched the back of her neck tenderly and sighed. “I just feel like a failure. I was supposed to save him. I thought… I really thought I was going to be able to save him,”

 

“Not everything gets a happy ending, Broadside,” He said, resting his hand on her shoulder. “you did what you could,”

 

“It wasn’t enough,” She said, looking up at him, “If-“

 

“You did everything you could. There’s nothing else to ask for. You didn’t put the demon copy in him. You didn’t make him unstable. His father did that. It wasn’t you,”

 

Naru pursed her lips and nodded. “How am I supposed to feel right now?” She asked. Asuma took a long drag of his cigarette and looked down at Kazuma’s body, he thought about Kurenai. About the kid they were going to have. How Kazuma had had a child and left him, how he’d used him as a tool.

 

Asuma didn’t even get to explain who Sora’s father was to him. Or why he’d done what he did.  _ My kid… My kid’s gonna know what love is. I’m gonna be there for them. _

 

Asuma looked back at Naru. She was looking at Sora’s body, subdued, but not tearful. Her face wasn’t empty anymore, though. She looked regretful. “Whatever you feel right now, I’m sure it’s fine. Sora was a messed up kid. He didn’t deserve what happened, but it happened, and we can’t rewind time,” 

 

Naru frowned. “Can’t we?” 

 

“...Let’s go check on the others,”

 

“Mm,” Naru hummed, tearing her eyes away from Sora and looking up at Asuma. He steeled himself, and leapt up onto the nearest rooftop. Naru, after a moment, followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asuma: Wicked Games, The Hot Damns
> 
> Naru: Going To Hell, The Pretty Reckless


	67. Naru, What’s The Point Of Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year Folks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmm naru knows what she’s doing 0.2% of the time

Naru was back on training ground C. They'd had to take a couple days to repair the damage done by Kazuma and his team was being repaired. 

 

“Naru, what the hell are you doing?” Kakashi asked, leaning over her, his spiky head blocking out the sun. Naru squinted up at him.

 

“Thinking,”

 

“You can do that?”

 

“Oooh, a funny and original joke from Kakashi Hatake, watch out, comedians of the land of fire, a new contender has arrived on the scene-“

 

“We get it, you’re sarcastic. Congrats,” He said, tilting his head and offering her a hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. They paused for a second, then he swept his leg at her ankles, and she had to catch herself and flip backwards to avoid wiping out. She glared at him.

 

“What was that for?”

 

Kakashi was just standing there, calm as anything, his hands in his pockets. “You seem distracted,”

 

“I killed an innocent kid, Kakashi-sensei,” She said dodging as he flung a knife at her.

 

“Why’d you kill him if he was innocent?” He asked, still calm, but both of his hands were out of his pockets now and he was staring intently at her. She frowned, her brow furrowing.

 

“He was attacking me, he’d lost his mind-“

 

“So you were defending yourself?” He asked as he swung out, and she was forced to grab his arm and duck away from his blow, twisting and pushing him away. He landed nimbly, still watching her carefully.

 

“Yeah, but-“

 

And he launched himself at her again, this time watching for her counter and using its momentum to push her down, twisting her arm behind her and digging his knee into her back. “You defended yourself against someone who was a threat to you and the village. You did your job,” 

 

“But-“ She grunted, struggling a little. Kakashi sighed and let go of her, standing up and dusting off his hands before pushing them back into his pockets. 

 

“But nothing,” He said, watching her roll over and sit up, rubbing her arm and scowling up at him, “You did your job. Sometimes the world just gives you a stack of bad choices. You still have to choose, Naru-kun, you always have to choose,”

 

She frowned up at him. “I still killed someone who shouldn’t have died,”

 

“What, do you think there’s a single experienced ninja out there who hasn’t? I’m yet to meet one. All I have to say is sorry, Naru, but this? This is something you have to get used to,”

 

“Why? Why is the world so… unfair?”

 

Kakashi shrugged. “Eh, who’s to say?”

 

Naru heaved a sigh and got to her feet. “Okay, guess it’s time to train,”

 

“That’s the spirit,” He laughed, “You know, you’re growing on me. I’m really starting to like you, kid,”

 

Naru froze, then looked up at him with narrowed eyes. “Huh?”

 

“I said I’m really starting to like you,”

 

“Kakashi-sensei you’ve known me for four years. You’re  _ starting  _ to like me?” She asked, getting to her feet and pointing at him, “What the hell do you mean you’re  _ starting to like me? _ I’m likeable! You shoulda liked me from the start. No! Why are you walking away? Come here!  _ Starting…  _ I’ll show you  _ starting _ … I’m about to  _ start _ beating your ass!”

 

“Now, I think you’re taking this the wrong way Naru-“ Kakashi said, audibly holding back a laugh as he shuffled away from her. She growled low in her chest and made to swipe at him.

 

“Starting to like me after four years of being my teacher, why I oughtta-“ 

 

Yamato walked onto the training ground, and when he saw Naru try to tackle Kakashi and wind up sprawling in the dirt, he yelled out. 

 

“Hey! You two! Stop it!”

 

Naru grinned as a pillar of wood shoved her back to her feet and stuck her tongue out at Kakashi. Yamato crossed his arms.

 

“Are we going to train or are you going to act like a child? If you want to behave like a child then I can walk you back to the academy,”

 

“At least in the academy I had one teacher who  _ liked _ me,” Naru grumbled. Kakashi snorted. 

 

“Maa, you seem pretty sure about that-“

 

“Hey!”

 

“ _ Senpai!” _

 

Kakashi’s eye crinkled like it always did when he smiled. Naru crossed her arms and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Whatever. What’s my assignment?” She asked, feeling a soft push in her chest and a thrumming best. She looked around her, eyes skating over the forest, looking for where Sai and Sakura were hiding. She couldn’t see them, but she felt them. She looked back at her teachers before they could catch on and ask her what she was looking for.

 

Kakashi jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the cliff Yamato had raised the first time they’d been on the grounds. Naru thought, briefly, of Sora, sitting cross legged and barking out insults at her as she tried to split leaves.

 

“You gotta stop the waterfall with your chakra,”

 

“I excuse me  _ what?” _

 

Yamato sighed, and held out his hand. A bridge of braided wood sprouted across the waterfall, halfway, causing the water to splash across its surface, the sound of it striking a cross between a rumble and a patter, like a torrential rain. Naru looked at him. “You’ll channel wind chakra, and you- with a  large group of clones, of course, will release a burst of chakra in altered form, that will disrupt the flow of the waterfall,” He tilted his head and looked at her with a small, kind smile. “You should be able to do it without too much trouble. The main challenge, I think, is going to be synchronisation. All of your clones will have to release chakra at the same time,”

 

“Okay,” she said, reaching down and yanking off her shoes, “Sounds easy enough,” She peeled off her tank top and her mesh shirt, throwing them aside, and Yamato frowned. 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Not walking around all day in wet fuckign clothes, that’s for sure,” She said, straightening up and snapping the strap of her sports bra, offering him a crooked grin and raising her voice a little, “It’s just us, anyway, right?”

 

Yamato looked confused, “...Yeah,” He said. She walked over to the cliff, clambering up its face until she gained the bridge. She walked across it. Her bare feet felt odd against the rough wood, and when she stepped beneath the heavy deluge of water, she gasped. It was cold, and although the day was warm for late fall, it wasn’t hot. She placed her hands together, and summoned as many clones as would fit side-by-side beneath the waterfall. 

 

“What now, Cap?” She shouted over her shoulder, water beating down hard across her shoulders, rushing down her back, plastering her hair down to her head. She felt it tug on her necklaces and worried, for a moment, bout losing them, before remembering that they’d survived her partial transformations with Kurama, and they’d last through a shower with water pressure that was a little too intense.

 

“Use your chakra!” Yamato bellowed. 

 

“You know… like the entire last drill was centered on?” Kakashi called. Naru shot him a dirty look that was slightly undercut by the water slamming down on her face. 

 

She gave up and turned back to the wall, planting her hands flat against the cliff face. Her clones swiftly followed her lead, and she grunted as she began gathering up her chakra. “On three… One… two…  _ three! _ ”

 

Naru blasted chakra out of her hands as hard as she could. The water around her stuttered, spraying out around her. The waterfall didn’t stop. She paused, trying to catch her breath, looking around her. 

 

“Fuck. I fucked it up,”

 

She grit her teeth and tried again. And again. She couldn’t get it down. She took a deep breath and leaned back, away from the crushing weight of the water, and shook the water from her hair. 

 

“Naru!”

 

“I’m working on it!”

 

“No! Come down!” 

 

Naru turned and looked down at the ground where Kakashi and Yamato stood. Shikamaru was standing there, between them, looking up at her.

 

She let her clones go and leapt of the platform, jogging up to him and smiling. “Hey, whatcha disrupting my valuable training time for?”

 

Shikamaru, upon closer inspection, was blushing furiously, and keeping his eyes fixed on her face. “I’m going on a mission,” he almost shouted, his hands in his pockets. She nodded. 

 

“A long one?”

 

“No… There was a problem at the fire temple, an attack, and there have been sightings of the akatsuki… they’re getting closer. They say… They say that they’re hunting Jinchuriki,” His eyes flicked around him, and Naru cocked an eyebrow.  _ So he really has figured it all out.  _ “Anyway, they’re dangerous criminals and you should be careful,”

 

“Who’s your team?” She asked. He swallowed and fixed his eyes on a point around a foot above her head.

 

“Asuma, Kotetsu and Izumo,” He blinked, and looked back at her face. “Keep an eye out. The Akatsuki are dangerous,”

 

“Yeah, I know. I’ve run into them before,” She shot him a crooked smile, “Thanks for the heads up Shika-kun, have a good mission. I’ll see you later,” She moved to hug him, but stuttered to a halt, realising that she’d get water on him. He cleared his throat and stepped forward, hugging her briefly and then turning away.

 

“Okay, see you after the mission,” He said. Then he ran. Kakashi cleared his throat and cocked his eyebrow at Naru. Yamato had his lips pursed tightly.

 

“I don’t know about that. Back on the bridge,” He said sharply. Kakashi cleared his throat.

 

“Don’t you have something to give him?”

 

“...Oh shit! yeah!” Naru said, running forward and grabbing her bag, then sprinting after Shikamaru. He didn’t hear her coming up behind him. 

 

“Grumpy! Wait up!”

 

Shikamaru started and looked around, turning red when he saw Naru skidding to a halt, holding her backpack in front of her, one hand already rummaging inside. 

 

“S-Sunshine!” He stuttered, smoothing his hand over his ponytail and looking flustered. She bit her tongue as her hand got cut open on some weapon that had come unsheathed in her bag before extracting a hard rectangular object.

 

“Got your thing I got you…” She grumbled, handing it to him, “Sorry it’s not wrapped. I’m a piece of-“

 

“Is this…” Shikamaru asked, taking the book and turning it over. Naru grinned. 

 

“One copy for Kakashi-sensei… one for you,” She said, ruffling her hair, “You’re the only other person who reads trashy romance novels so I just… had The Sage give me two copies. I haven’t even really read it. I uh… Yeah. Thought you’d like it. Bye!”

 

But Shikamaru caught her wrist as she turned, and with a gentle urgency, pulled her in. He looked her in the eye. “Thank you,”

 

“Mmmm… No problem… boblem. I’m gonna go stop the forces of nature. Have a good mission. Tell Chinstrap I said hey,”

 

But then Shikamaru pulled her into a hug. “Thanks, Sunshine. See you when I get back,”

 

And then Naru pulled away, and sprinted back to the training ground. Glad she had Shikamaru back as a friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> naru: Fool, Frankie Cosmos


	68. Shikamaru, And The End Of Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...... heavy themes warning. death tw

Shikamaru hummed, glancing at Asuma. He hadn’t lit a cigarette the entire mission. 

 

“What’s wrong, Asuma-sensei?” he asked. Asuma looked over at him, surprised.

 

“What makes you think there’s something wrong?”

 

“You haven’t lit up in the three hours we’ve been moving. For a chain smoker like you to suddenly stop cold turkey? Something is up,”

 

Asuma shot him a crooked smile. “You’re too sharp, Shikamaru. I’m not telling you anything. I’m saving it for the next time the whole team is together,”

 

Shikamaru almost drew to a stop.  _ Kurenai is pregnant? _ He smiled, and Asuma laughed under his breath, shaking his head. “Too sharp for your own damn good, kid,” 

 

They eventually arrived at the point where the reports had placed the akatsuki, and when they encountered the man who owned the silo, and he spilled everything the moment that Izumo pulled a knife on him and then they were off again, toward the nearest bounty collection point. 

 

They paused for a second, Asuma holding up his hand. There one was, a white haired man in a black and red robe, swearing profusely and kicking stones. He turned, and it showed a massive sythe, three wickedly curved blades and a handle on a metal chain. He moved without real rhythm, almost as though he didn’t know where he was going to go until he was already there. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.  _ Chaotic, unpredictable. Hard to pin down.  _

 

_ Still. Only one? The report said they travelled in pairs. The other must be inside. We’ll have to move fast. Taking one man is much easier than two, even more so with enemies the level of the akatsuki.  _

 

“We’d do well to request backup,”

 

“Wouldn’t we lose our advantage if we waited?”

 

Shikamaru looked over at Kotetsu and cleared his throat. “Would you mind sending out a few messengers to the other teams searching out akatsuki leads? They’ll be closer and better prepared. We’ll attack head on and hold our own, but that way backup will be on the way if it turns out that we need it,”

 

“Good plan,” Kotetsu said summoning a few hawks and scrawling three coded messages across thin scrolls, then tying them to the legs of the birds. They took off, and Shikamaru turned toward Asuma.

 

“Anything you want to point out?”

 

“He seems distracted. An ambush is a good idea to start,”

 

“Then wait for me,” Shikamaru said. He crouched, looking at the shadows, the patterns along the ground, the ways that he could make his own unnoticeable. The sharp lines of the building would hide it well, but only to a point…

 

The tree line they were hiding in cast a weak, shifting shadow, but it would serve better. He could mimic a branch and use the swaying of the tree to draw closer. He hunched down. “Watch for my signal. If need be, move to the rooftop and push him back toward the trees. I’ll pin him and Asuma-sensei can finish the play,”

 

Kotetsu snorted. “The play,” He repeated, but he nodded and he and Izumo snuck sideways, closer to where they would be able to transport themselves to the rooftop. Shikamaru looked over at Asuma. 

 

“I wish we knew more about him,”

 

“We’re about to find out more about him,”

 

“I’d be able to make a better, more comprehensive plan if we knew more about him,”

 

“That’s the thing, Shikamaru,” Asuma said, resting his hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder and smiling at him, “We don’t always have everything we need going into a fight. But that’s why we have you. A quick thinker on the ground is worth a bingo book any day. Now let’s get this rolling,”

 

Asuma split off, moving in the opposite direction from Kotetsu and Izumo, and Shikamaru turned toward the akatsuki member. 

 

He reached out with the shadow possession, ebbing and flowing with the breeze, biding his time and waiting for the pacing man to draw close. But it didn’t happen. He just turned and stormed away, drawing his weapon and swinging it in thin air, yelling at nothing in particular.

 

He sighed. He couldn’t pull it off quietly. He was short on time. He signalled Kotetsu and Izumo, who teleported up onto the roof and started to attack from the high ground there. On their appearance the man seemed surprised for a moment, but that quickly shifted to excitement.

 

They were having a hard time pushing him back. Even laying syrup traps and pelting him with kunai. It was taking too long, and now Shikamaru was worried about the noise drawing out the other member. If this was going to be over with quickly, he had to make a more dramatic move. 

 

He pushed out as far as he could while still in disguise, and then splintered his shadow possession into shadow stitching. The new branches pierced the man from the back as he focused on Kotetsu and Izumo. He yelled and swore and flailed as Shikamaru tied him down, his shadows like the wires of a suspension bridge, threaded through the man’s body without regard for his life. He gestured out to Asuma, Who ran out and sliced the man’s head clean off. Shikamaru let out a relieved sigh. Keeping up a shadow that large for that long had seriously depleted his chakra. He released the jutsu as the man’s head rolled across the floor and straightened up, stepping out of the tree cover and joining Asuma by the body. 

 

“That actually went really well,” Kotetsu said, nodding at Shikamaru. Shikamaru nodded back.

 

“Kakuzu you bastard! Get your ass  _ out here NOW!”  _

 

They all jumped and turned to stare at the head that was still rolling slowly away. Shikamaru blanched, but Kotetsu sprang forward, winding up and kicking the head into the tree line as hard as he could. All they could hear was the thing screaming profanities at the top of his… well… he didn’t have  _ lungs _ anymore…

 

Something thin and dark shot out and caught the head by its hair. He yelled even louder, but Shikamaru was turning as fast as he could back toward the door of the building. 

 

There stood another Akatsuki member, clutching a briefcase over his shoulder and his other hand outstretched, the thin dark thing was stretching out from his wrist, and he was glaring at Kotetsu.

 

“It would have taken me a very long time to find him if he had landed. You’re lucky that I arrived when I did,”

 

“Kakuzu put me down! Don’t hold me by my hair that fucking  _ hurts _ !”

 

“Hidan, you’ve just had your head cut off,” The second man, Kakuzu, said calmly. Hidan growled as Kakuzu pulled his head in toward him.

 

“So! Just stick me back on my body so that I can fight these assholes by myself,”

 

“That didn’t really go well for you the first time,” Kauzu reasoned, as though he wasn’t standing mere feet away from a group of enemy nin who were quickly recovering from their surprise. Shikamaru was sizing them both up. Hidan, the first man, was obviously some sort of immortal. Tricky. He had to try to figure out how that worked. 

 

The second man was a complete wildcard. His face was covered, but even disregarding that, Shikamaru couldn’t figure out his abilities. The thin, dark strand… it worked like his shadow stitching, but… it didn’t operate independently of him. It almost seemed less like a jutsu and more like… an extension of his body.

 

But that was  _ impossible. _

 

But so was a talking beheaded man. The akatsuki were shaping up to be even more challenging than he’d thought. 

 

Shikamaru had underestimated his opponent.

 

And suddenly Kakuzu's dark threads were sewing Hidan’s loudly complaining head back on. He looked to Asuma, who tore his eyes off the terrifying display before them to meet Shikamaru’s gaze for a moment. 

 

“You. Take him with them. I’ll get that head back off those shoulders-”

 

“But-”

 

“Who’s the Jonin, Shikamaru?” Asuma barked, his face suddenly angry. Shikamaru felt panic build in his chest. “That’s an order!”

 

“... _ yes, sir _ ,” He said, shifting back, toward the other chunin. Asuma nodded, and they split up. Kakuzu looked down at Hidan, who was stretching his newly reattached neck.

 

“Do you want to let them do that?”

 

“I want guillotine over here all to myself,” He snapped, “you just keep the others off my back,”

 

“Is that how they got you?”

 

“Shut up,”

 

Then, suddenly, the fight was happening again. Shikamaru knelt, and  his shadow stitching clashed in the air with Kakuzu’s threads, keeping them off Kotetsu and Izumo. He couldn’t even keep an eye on Asuma, let alone lend him an assist. This Kakuzu guy wasn’t even breaking a sweat, and it was taking all Shikamaru had to stop him from killing the other two.

 

Then there was a flash of red, and Asuma leapt back into Shikamaru’s sight, a shallow cut across the side of his face leaking blood down until it ran into his beard. 

 

But Hidan was laughing maniacally, like he’d already won, and… he licked Asuma’s blood off the scythe. Shikamaru froze… and so did Asuma as Hidan drew a symbol in his own blood with his foot. But the Kakuzu took Shikamaru’s attention again, and he was fighting as hard as he could. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Asuma blast Hidan with fire, and Shikamaru was relieved, because that would damn near end it. No one could fight covered in burns like that. 

 

But it was Asuma who screamed. Shikamaru stopped. He stared. Hidan had shoved a knife though his own leg, he was shirtless. His skin was blackened, and across his face, chest, and arms were strange white markings, like a skeleton. 

 

He was laughing his head off, and Asuma was on his knees, his eyes horrified, half his face badly burned… and then…

 

The world stopped as Hidan shoved a blade through his own chest.

 

Blood.

 

It was bubbling out of Asuma’s mouth.

 

His face was slack. 

 

Blood was everywhere.

 

It was leaking through his vest. 

 

Shikamaru’s throat hurt. He was screaming. Shadow stitching shot out around him at every angle. Kakuzu was forced to withdraw, but that didn’t matter, because it wasn’t real.

 

It couldn’t be real.

 

Asuma fell backward, and the whole earth shook with it. The universe trembled. The entire world ceased to exist. Shikamaru was running. 

 

He was clutching at Asuma’s vest…

 

Blood.

 

It was on his hands. Asuma’s eyes flicked toward him, only half seeing. 

 

Asuma looked down at his chest, bleeding, at the blood on Shikamaru’s hands. He coughed. 

 

Shikamaru flinched as more blood splattered across his face. 

 

“No…” Shikamaru said, scrabbling at his teacher’s chest, unzipping the front of his vest, putting pressure on the wound. Kotetsu and Izumo were behind him now, levelling their weapons at Hidan and Kakuzu. 

 

“We’ll be back, stay here,” Hidan called. 

 

“No!” Shikamaru said. Asuma’s lips were moving. His hand reached up and rested on the side of his face.

 

“Hey… tell Choji… I’m sorry, and that he’s stronger and kinder than any man I know… and tell Ino… to remember what I taught her… about those whips. And you… remember… the king. We protect the king… and you’re the best man to do it,” He coughed again, and looked up at the sky, “Tell Kurenai I love her… and that I’m sorry. And tell.. Tell the kid… tell my daughter I love her. Make sure…” He took a rattling breath, and his hand fell from Shikamaru’s face. His eyes slid closed. “Make sure... she knows... I love h-”

 

But then the world ended. And nothing mattered anymore at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asuma: Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back, MCR
> 
> Shikamaru: I'm Not Okay (I promise), MCR
> 
> 21 Guns, Green Day
> 
> Hidan: DESTROYA, MCR


	69. Naru, If I Can't See You, Are You Still There?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru completes phase two of her training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmm

Naru felt the water pouring over her and screamed in frustration. Her hands curled into a fists, still pushed hard against the rock, her knuckles grinding against the rough stone. She reared back, letting the water pour over her face, and she felt like she was drowning, and it was overwhelming, and the feeling in her stomach was almost  _ hatred _ .

 

She punched upward, into the water, and felt the power rip through her body. The water burst outward, spraying in every direction, and her chakra kept going, it kept ripping upward through the water, spraying the water outward over the training ground.

 

A massive gust of wind rushed suddenly by her, carrying the spray off, spreading it out in the air. The water caught the sun, and there was an arc of a rainbow- growing out across the sky. Naru looked back over it, feeling the wind buffet her a little, like a pat on the back, and smiled. She looked down at Kakashi and Yamato, who were both waving for her to come back down. 

 

She leapt down, her clones dispersing as she hit the ground. She jogged over, stopping in front of the other nin and grinning.

 

“Did it!” She said, putting her hands on her hips. Yamato smiled at her, and Kakashi crossed his arms.

 

“Okay, now you have to finish the jutsu,” He said. Naru squinted. 

 

“Okay, so what do I do?”

 

Kakashi shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said. Even the fourth didn’t figure it out. You have to find a way to change the chakra nature of the rasengan, and you’re on your own,”

 

Naru narrowed her eyes at him. “And you expect me to be able to do that?”

 

“Of course I do,” Kakashi said, his voice plain. 

 

“Are you forgetting that I’m like…”  _ The biggest idiot on the planet? Useless for everything but destruction? A wrecking ball of a person? A walking wildfire? The real life worst? A failure?  _ “Me?”

 

“No,” Kakashi sighed, “That’s precisely why I expect you to do it,”

 

Naru paused, looking up at him, then crossed her arms and scowled at him. “Starting to like me,”

 

Yamato threw his hands up in the air and shook his head, walking away and muttering under his breath. Kakashi just eye-smiled at her.

 

“Well, I’m going to go take a nap. Good luck,” 

 

Naru sighed and sat in the middle of the field, watching the river rush past her. She heaved a sigh, and looked up at the quickly fading rainbow. There was something, a little feeling in her ribs, like a clenched fist. A feeling like something bad was going to happen, or had happened and she just hadn’t heard about it yet. She frowned as the last traces of the rainbow finally disappeared as a cloud blew over the sun, and the last of the mist she had caused left the air. 

 

There was that damn feeling again. The feeling that she’d done this all before, and that there was something she’d forgotten to do. 

 

She shook herself. She needed to focus. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: It Hurts Until It Doesn't, Mothers
> 
> Kakashi: Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), Green Day 
> 
> Asuma: What's Left Of The Flag, Flogging Molly
> 
> (honestly Drunken Lullabies as an album p much sums up my feelings toward Asuma's death)


	70. Shikamaru, The Light Goes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> grief and shock

Shikamaru’s hands were shaking. Choji was heaving him back, off of Asuma’s body, and away from him. “C’mon Shikamaru, we gotta go, you can’t stay here and wait for them to come back, you can’t take them, we need to regroup…”

 

Kotetsu heaved Asuma’s body up, hoisting him over his shoulders to carry back to the village. As he did, Asuma’s lighter fell from the pocket of his vest, the metal clinking against the ground. He shook Choji off and stooped to pick it up, because Asuma would need that, he always hated losing his lighter, he used to hiss swear words as he patted down all his pockets, it was the only time that he ever swore in front of them before they turned fifteen…

 

Shikamaru’s whole body was shaking as he stared at the lighter, at his face reflected in it, spattered with blood and tear stained, distorted by the curving corners of the metal, he flipped the lid and lit it, the flame flickering in the wind.

 

“C’mon, Shikamaru, let’s go,” Choji said, pulling Shikamaru along. Ino ducked under his arm and hauled him up. She was crying. The tears soaked through her shirt. Choji… Choji’s voice cracked. “We… we can’t stay here, we gotta get him back. We gotta…”

 

Shikamaru swallowed. He flipped the lighter closed. 

 

His teammates carried him home, because he couldn’t really move his legs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How To Never Stop Being Sad, Dandilion Hands


	71. Naru, Funeral Suits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru attends another sarutobi funeral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay. We’re getting to the revenge part

The funeral was hard to be at. Konohamaru has firmly planted himself into Naru’s side, like he had during his grandfather’s funeral, and was crying into her side. 

 

She stroked his hair and let tears fall down her face. Choji and Ino weren’t far from them, and on her other side, she could see Kurenai, holding hands with Kiba and Hinata. Both boys looked close to tears. Shino was standing behind them, towering over them all, even with his head bowed. 

 

Naru brought her arm around Konohamaru’s shoulders and drew him in closer. She made up her mind to check on him more often, be there for him more. Be a better big sibling. He had chosen her side twice now for comfort. She had to be there more, now his blood relatives were all seemingly gone. 

 

She looked around again. Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen. His father was there, a few rows back- so like him, but with a scarred face and a firmer grimace, his wife, a stern looking woman with long hair was standing beside him. His eyes met Naru’s briefly, and she shot him a questioning look. He shook his head almost imperceptibly.

 

**_LEAVE THE BOY BE, NARU._ **

 

_ When I lost… you know… the third… and Sasuke… I know I wanted to be alone… but it wasn’t what was good for me. Sasuke found me in the clearing… Neji found me on that binge… Maybe Shikamaru- _

 

**_HE DOESN’T NEED YOU MAKING LIFE MORE COMPLEX FOR HIM. HE HAS FAMILY TO RELY ON._ **

 

Naru clenched her teeth and ran her hand over Konohamaru’s hair again. 

 

**_THE LITTLE ONE NEEDS YOU MORE THAN YOUR NARA BOY DOES. LOOK AFTER THE KIT. THE OTHER WILL FIND YOU WHEN IT’S TIME._ **

 

_ Yeah… you’re right. _

 

She lowered her eyes to her sandals. The wet droplets from her tears shone on their surface. She swallowed thickly. Asuma was gone. He had been young. He had not planned to go. It wasn’t his choice. He’d done nothing wrong.

 

But he’d died anyway. Because that was the reality of being a ninja. An enemy had struck him down. 

  
_ And that enemy _ , she thought, with the stir of Kurama under her skin and acid in her chest and throat,  _ was the akatsuki. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kill our way to heaven, michi


	72. Shikamaru, When All Else Fails, Plot Your Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mmm shikamaru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmm it's time to start running, Hidan
> 
> also, how good would hidan meeting/fighting NAru be? it would be so good. so so good

Shikamaru was laying across the roof of the restaurant where, if he were still around, Asuma would be complaining about Choji eating him out of house and home. 

 

He flicked open the lighter, the metallic grinding noise familiar. Soothing.

 

He hadn’t gone to the funeral. If he had then it would be real. If he saw the casket, if he saw the grave, if he lowered his teachers ashes into the ground, then it would be real. 

 

He ran his thumb quickly along the wheel, sparks emanating from it catching on the fuse, the fuel making the fire swell up, a flame born in Shikamaru’s hand.

 

But whether or not he acknowledged it, Asuma was gone, and Shikamaru’s teacher was dead. Things that had seemed to matter so much were now nothing. His mountains were foothills, now that he sat at the base of a true tragedy. His life had been struck down into perspective, and he realised how childish he had been. Shame strangled him, choked him, drew a grey veil over the world, drained the colour from all that was.

 

He flicked the cap back over the lighter, snuffing the flame abruptly.

 

And it was all down to that white haired maniac. Hidan. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. 

 

He flicked the cap back off the lighter.

 

Hidan.

 

He rolled the wheel.

 

The akatsuki.

 

The flame slid out, blooming from the mouth of the lighter like a realisation.

 

The same organisation hat kidnapped Gaara, almost killed him, that had attempted to kidnap Naru- yeah, he’d read her file, that was years ago now, but they were still a threat to her, to the village, to anyone they cross.

 

And they’d taken so much from him.

 

They’d taken _ enough _ from him. Enough for a lifetime. The thieves of people that he loved. They were ducking in and out of his life, so indirectly, glancing off the edges… until now. Hidan has struck something that made up the center of his life.

 

And he would pay.

 

Shikamaru sat up, staring down at the flame of the lighter and trying to recall everything he could about the fight. How Hidan moved, how he spoke, the way the ground looked, the symbol on it and the symbol that Hidan wore around his neck.

 

Shikamaru flicked the lighter closed.  _ I have to go to the Library. I have to…  _

 

He leapt down off the rooftop and began walking, hands in his pockets, lighter hot against his palm, eyes fixed on the ground. Anger in his chest, his lungs, his mind.

 

He hadn’t been enough. He hadn’t been quick enough. He hadn’t adapted.

 

But now… Now he had some information. Now…. now he had time to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teenagers, MCR


	73. Naru, Teaching And Taught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru is working on her shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Naru was standing in the field, staring at the waterfall and thinking hard. _How the hell do I combine the Rasengan…_

 

**_WELL YOU COULD CHANNEL THE CHANGE IN NATURE THROUGH THE CHAKRA YOU’RE CHANNELING IN YOUR HAND._ **

 

_Well yeah but how the hell am I supposed to do that?_

 

**_KIT, JUST TRY. YOU DON’T HAVE THE MIND POWER TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE THINGS OUT IN THIS WAY._ **

 

_Thanks, pops, you asshole._

 

“Naru-Nii!” Konohamaru called from his place at the top of the cliff, “Naru-Nii, look, I did it!”

 

“Good job Konohamaru, now walk down without using your hands! It’s all in the hamstrings!”

Naru gave him a thumbs up and then summoned her rasengan, looking at the concentrated chakra in her palms. She frowned. They still rotated in opposite directions. She slammed them together to create what Kakashi had dubbed the ‘Chakra Saw Jutsu’. She hummed.

 

_Hey, Pops?_

 

**_KIT?_ **

 

_Ever seen anyone just… smack chakra and altered chakra together?_

 

**_YOU HAD A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE SIMPLY COMBINING CHAKRA AND CHAKRA. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING MORE?_ **

 

_I dunno… seems like a cool idea though._

 

“Nii-san this hurts!” Konohamaru whined, crouching down and frowning at her. She waved at him with her rasengan.

 

“How bad?”

 

“Not… not that bad,”

 

“You gain muscle by tearing muscle. A little pain is a good thing. You shouldn’t be in agony though. If It gets really bad, don’t be afraid to take a break!”

 

“I don’t need a break! I can do it!” Konohamaru barked, a determined look overtaking his features. She grinned at him.

 

“That’s the spirit, Konohamaru-chan! You can do it!”

 

She turned back to her hands, the tattoos on her palms, and frowned. _I think I can do it._

 

“You know, you’re really good with him,”

 

Naru turned and smiled up at Yamato.

 

“Thanks, Cap!” She said. Yamato patted her shoulder.

 

“You’ll make a great sensei one day,” He said. She felt pride swell up in her chest.

 

“I wanna teach my own kids one day, you know? I always wanted a big ass family, you know? Like a ton of people all in a house together,” She smiled at the thought of it. Yamato smiled at her indulgently.

 

“I’m sure you’ll get that one day,”

 

“Thanks!” She said, conjuring her rasengan again. She frowned down at her right hand, and let the chakra there dissipate. She squinted and looked back up at Yamato. “Mm, Cap, you might wanna step back, I dunno what’s about to happen,”

 

Yamato’s eyes widened a little and he nodded, stepping back.. Naru redirected her focus on her right hand and began channeling wind chakra into it. She felt Kurama sigh, but ignored him, and smacked her hands together.

 

The blast from between her hands shook the ground. Birds departed from trees. Konohamaru was startled off the cliff face.

 

Naru realised, once her vision came back and her head stopped spinning, that she was flat on her back. She groaned and tried to sit up. Her arms felt like they had no bones left in them, and when she looked down, her hands, sliding in and out of focus, had no skin left on them.

 

She groaned. “Looks like that won’t work!”

 

“Thanks, Kakashi- _senpai_ ,” she snapped, adding under her breath, “you fuckin’ asshole,”

 

“I heard that!” He said, laughter still in his voice. Naru groaned again, pressing her bloodied hands to either side of her face.

 

“Nii-san what _was_ that?”

 

“Not what I thought it would be,” She called back.

 

**_A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION._ **

 

_You think so?_

 

**_I KNOW IT, KIT OF MINE._ **

 

She looked down at her hands, at the skin slowly growing back, and frowned. Her tattoos were gone from the palms of her hands. She frowned.

 

_Pops! My leaf symbols are gone!_

 

**_GOOD RIDDANCE._ **

 

_But pops…_

 

Kurama grunted angrily and dark, smooth spirals reappeared on the palms of her hands. This time, they were red, like birth marks. She tilted her head.

 

 _They used to be leaf symbols, pops…._ She thought, flexing her fingers.

 

**_THIS IS BETTER. THE SPIRALS ARE YOURS AND YOURS ALONE._ **

 

_I guess…_

 

Naru sighed. She conjured her rasengan again, letting it slow down, letting one hand flicker and fail, and then letting one flicker and die. Then, gently, slowly, she let the chakra in her right hand change form.

 

She brought her hands together again, but slowly. There was a strange noise, like a grinding, scraping noise, pitched up and headache inducing, but then the chakra flickered, and died, the wind snuffing it out.

 

“What’re you doing?” Konohamaru asked, coming to stand in front of her an peering at her hands. She looked up at him.

 

“Finishing a jutsu,”

 

Konohamaru tilted his head. “What’s wrong with your rasengan the way it is?”

 

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” She said, ruffling his hair. “It’s just that the fourth never finished it,”

 

“What’s it supposed to be?”

 

“It’s supposed to be a combination of chakra and chakra nature,” She said, “But it’s hard to balance it perfectly,”

 

“Is that why it blew up in your face?”

 

She laughed. She hung her head and put her hands on her hips, biting her top lip. “Yeah, that’s why it blew up,”

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t balance them perfectly. Maybe it _should_ be more one thing than the other. A cake isn’t a cake if you use the same amounts of all the stuff in it,” He said, shrugging. Naru stared down at him. Kurama made a noise, half way between a growl and clearing his throat.

 

**_MAYBE THE LITTLE ONE SHOULD BE TEACHING YOU._ **

 

_Shut it…_

 

“Yeah, well… yeah,” She said, rubbing the back of her neck and looking over at the place where she could feel Sai spying on her. _Shit’s embarrassing…_ “Okay, back on the cliff. I want a hundred curl ups with gravity resistance,”

 

Konohamaru pouted, but jogged back over to the cliff. She smiled at his retreating back with even more pride in her chest. _What a good kid._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Harvard, Diet Cig
> 
> Konohamaru: Give Me Novacaine/She's A Rebel, Green Day
> 
> Yamato: Young Volcanoes, Fall Out Boy
> 
> Kakashi: Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued, Fall Out Boy
> 
> Kurama: DARE, Gorillaz (okay defo my favourite Gorillaz Song since i was but a youth)


	74. Shikamaru, Figuring Out A Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru doesn't deserve to hurt like this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmMMMMMM i have to write something for my side story today

Things that Shikamaru knew:

 

Hidan fights with a fairly unwieldy three bladed scythe, which doesn’t lend itself easily to inflicting major wounds. 

 

Hidan, after engaging in combat with this scythe, became stationary and put it away. Almost as though he had accomplished a goal with it.

 

The symbol he wore around his neck and the sigil he had painted in his blood on the ground were the symbol of a chaos god by the name of Jashin, and this god’s followers believed in sacrificing people to him. 

 

His immortality seemed to be infallible, and could be connected to his religion. This presented a problem to Shikamaru, personally, due to his goal of… well, killing him. 

 

Shikamaru also had a fair amount of conjecture to go on. 

 

He felt as though the man’s jutsu depended on his standing in the sigil. This would mean that if he couldn’t prevent him from drawing it in the first place, he could potentially interrupt the process as it happened. 

 

And, on top of that, the way Hidan’s weapon was shaped combined with the initial injury on Asuma’s cheek… It was like he needed some of his opponent’s blood in order to perform his ritual.

 

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the book on the Cult Of Jashin. There was a lot up in the air here. He had lots of individual pieces of information that he had to make intellectual leaps to connect. He felt as though there were small details that he was missing that would ruin this. He could overlook something crucial. 

 

That’s what had killed Asuma. His overlooking crucial details killed his teacher. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

 

He closed the book and rubbed his eyes. He had a plan coming together, but it had to be perfect. There couldn’t be a single flaw.

 

He put the book back on the cart for reshelving and then walked out of the library, taking Asuma’s lighter from his pocket and flicking it. He frowned. 

 

He really was going to kill Hidan. Or come as close to it as possible. Keep him down forever. Bury him. 

 

Shikamaru froze, staring into the little flame.  _ Bury him. _

 

He narrowed his eyes.  _ And I know just the place.  _

 

He flicked the cap back over the lighter and shoved it back into his pocket, then began walking back to the Nara compound. There was a lot to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru: I Won't Let You Down, Alex Clare (thanks cupcake i literally played this album nonstop back when i was but a Youth and you totally brought it back into my radar)


	75. Naru, Little Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru is a good big Sib

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would stab myself for my little brothers and one of them isn't even legally my lil bro

Konohamaru was piggybacking on Naru, talking loudly in her er about Moegi and Udon, how they all loved playing pranks on Ebisu, and how, while she was away, he couldn’t find anyone to give him pointers on his sexy jutsu. Naru grinned. 

 

“You know, that jutsu of yours got me in a whole buncha trouble with Sakura,”

 

“Sakura-san? Hey! Speakin’ of Sakura-san! I heard a rumour she was your girlfriend. Is she your girlfriend Nii-san?”

 

Naru paused and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Who toldya that?”

 

“Lotsa folks are sayin’ it,”

 

“Well you go right ahead and tell lotsa people it’s not true. That kinda talk could get Sakura in a whole lotta trouble,”

 

“How come?” Konohamaru asked. Naru sighed.

 

“I’m not really the kinda person you take home to meet the parents, Kona-chan. I’m…” She grunted, hiking Konohamaru up higher on her back and looking at her feet. “I’m bad news, kiddo,” she said, as brightly as she could manage.

 

“My classmates all think you’re pretty cool,” Konohamaru said, “At first they thought you were weird because everyone’s parents don’t like you, but then when I told em all the cool stuff you do, and now they think you’re really cool too,”

 

Naru paused, trying hard not to laugh. But then the image of Sasuke’s older brother, towering over her in that hotel room all those years ago, flashed into her mind. “Konohamaru, don’t tell people you spend a lot of time with me either,”

 

“What? How come?” Konohamaru asked, aghast. Naru sighed. 

 

“I.... Like I said, kiddo, I’m bad news. I seem to have collected some heat- nothing you gotta worry about, but it’s a lil dangerous to let people know that you’re… you know, my little brother,”

 

“Your little brother?” Konohamaru echoed, sounding a little reverent. Naru nodded. 

 

“Yeah, if people know I’ve got a lil brother they might… well, I don’t know what these people will do, but I really don’t think you should advertise the fact I love you as much as I do,”

 

“So you and I can’t hang out anymore?”

 

Naru laughed. “Nah! I didn’t say that! Just, don’t go shouting about it. And if anyone asks, tell em that Captain Yamato is training you,”

 

Konohamaru laughed too. “Ebisu-sensei’s ears are gonna bleed when he hears that!”

 

“Even better,” Naru said, grinning. She walked on for a little while, and eventually Konohamaru rested his chin on her shoulder.

 

“When you say heat…” he asked hesitantly, “Are you in danger?”

 

Naru inhaled sharply through her nose. She drew to a halt at a crossroad. “Is your place right or left from here?”

 

“Right. Two doors down to your right, actually,” He fished his keys out of his pocket and dangled them over her shoulder. Naru took them and paused. 

 

“Is there anyone at home, Konohamaru?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Is anyone gonna miss you if you don’t come home tonight?”

 

Konohamaru was silent. Naru knew that silence. Konohamaru was higher profile than her, he was here in the middle of town, his apartment was probably well furnished and brightly lit. But the quiet in the air at the question told her everything she needed to know about its cold countertops and dark doorways.

 

An empty apartment was an empty apartment, no matter how much money you spent on rent. And grief should never be felt alone.

 

“How do you feel about sleepovers? ‘Cause my place is empty as hell and I just found a TV and a vhs player in the garbage yesterday. Wanna see if they work with me?”

 

Konohamaru drew in a little breath. “I’ve never had one, but that sounds awesome!”

 

“Then it’s a plan my man!” Naru said, turning right back around and stomping out toward the outskirt of town, “Let’s get it poppin’!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: I Will Buy You A New Life, Everclear
> 
> Konohamaru: Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous, Good Charlotte
> 
> Little Things, Good Charlotte


	76. Shikamaru, Gathering the Troops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gotta get this up before i go to wooorrrrkkkk

Shikamaru knocked hard on the door, frowning deeply and hoping that Ino, and not one of her parents, would answer the door.

 

“Shikamaru?” 

 

_ Oh thank the gods. _

 

“Hey, Ino,”

 

“Why weren’t you at Asuma-sensei’s funeral? Kurenai was looking for you. Did something happen?”

 

“Invite me in, Ino,”

 

Ino crossed her arms and glared at him. He just stared right back at her. She sighed and threw the door wide open. “Get in here. You better have an explanation, you brainy fuck,”

 

Shikamaru ducked past her and walked straight into her kitchen, reaching up into the cabinets and rummaging for their ration bars. He grabbed a handful and pushed them into his bag, then dumped more onto the counter and grabbed a few bags of chips. Ino leaned on the counter behind him. 

 

“What’s going on?” She asked. Shikamaru sighed.

 

“All you have is salt and vinegar? No barbeque?” He asked sharply, looking at the bags. Ino snarled.

 

“Salt and vinegar chips are delicious,”

 

“Whatever, freak,” He said, turning toward her, “So are you coming?”

 

“We’re gonna go get Choji and sneak out of the village to avenge Asuma-sensei, right?”

 

“Duh,”

 

“Hey! I’m just checking!” 

 

“Are you coming?”

 

“Uh, no, I’m just gonna sit here with my thumb up my ass,” She snapped, rolling her eyes. “Of course I’m coming. Full armour?”

 

“Yeah. Meet you at the gates in an hour,” He said, throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking back out. She followed him to the door.

 

“I get it, by the way,” She called. He paused and looked back at her.

 

“Get what?”

 

“I get why you didn’t go,” She said, leaning against the door and pulling her ponytail over her shoulder. She tilted her head as she ran her fingers through her hair. “Going made it real. Seeing it made it true. But it’s true either way, and you’ll have to go eventually,”

 

Shikamaru just looked at her for a moment. He checked her ears. She was wearing them too. She shrugged. 

 

“See you in fifty nine minutes, Shikamaru,”

 

“See you in fifty eight minutes, Ino,”

 

He turned back around, and strode off toward the Akimichi compound. When he arrived, he went directly to the door to Choji’s room. He loved Mrs. Akimichi, but he didn’t want her to know what he was up to, or even suspect it. 

 

He stood by the door and took one of Ino’s bags of chips out, then rattled it loudly. The door slid open, and Choji sat there, eyes red and puffy, hair a messy tangle. Shikamaru smiled at him and tossed him the bag of chips. 

 

“Today’s the day, huh?” Choji asked. Shikamaru nodded. 

 

“I think you and Ino know me a little too well. She knew too,”

 

“I mean… it’s not like we’ve all been hanging around one another every single day since we were like, eight or anything,” Choji laughed, wiping under one of his eyes and sniffing loudly. “I can… I can still smell his smoke on half my clothes, and I keep thinking… I keep thinking one load of laundry and I’m never gonna smell it again, you know?”

 

“Yeah. I know,” He reached into his pocket and traced his finger along the seam of the lighter, the hinge, the smooth corners. “Funny how we all hated it so much while he was alive and now… now he’s gone we wish it wouldn’t fade away,”

 

Choji shook his head. “That damn smoke,” He grunted, turning away from Shikamaru and shaking his head, “It still stings my eyes,”

 

Shikamaru looked down at the little damp patches on his vest. “Yeah, mine too,” He wiped his face quickly and inhaled deeply, like taking in more air would stop the tears from coming. “Forty five minutes,”

 

“I’m right behind you,” Choji said, standing up, “You already got Ino then?”

 

“She takes longer to get her full armour on than you do,” Shikamaru explained, “And everything’s already ready on my end. I… I have one more thing to do before I go,”

 

Choji looked over at him, taking in the expression on his face. “You know how I feel about all that. I’m not going to waste my breath on trying to lecture you,”

 

“Forty four minutes,” Shikamaru replied, reaching forward and sliding the door shut. He sighed and turned, before walking off. 

 

Just one more thing. One more just-in-case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter Of Our Youth, Bastille


	77. Naru, Breakfast Like A Heart Breaks Fast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MMMMMMM Shikamaru on some dumb shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is looping the spiderverse soundtrack

Naru was bustling around the kitchen, making Konohamaru cereal. She’d had to run out in the early hours of the morning to get fresh milk, because she was fairly sure that the carton she had in the fridge had been there for a couple weeks. She had poured it down the sink just in case. 

 

Konohamaru was poking her plants and examining the posters on her walls. He reached the window and peered out of it. Naru set the cereal bowl on the counter and put an apple next to it.

 

“Naru-nii, Why is that boy outside staring at your window?”

 

“Does he have dark hair?” Naru asked, gesturing for Konohamaru to come eat his breakfast. Konohamaru drew away from the window.

 

“Yeah,” He said.

 

“Oh, then it’s just my teammate Sai. He doesn’t have emotions so he follows me around on his free time to try to figure out how to act,”

 

“I don’t think it is Sai-san,” Konohamaru said, picking up his apple and rolling it between his hands, “It’s that boy who dodged your hug when you first came home, you know, Uncle Asuma’s student,” Konohamaru didn’t seem to realise just what he’d said. Naru didn’t point it out.

 

She tried to act calm as she looked toward the window. “Oh. Maybe he wants a word. Eat up, kiddo, I gotta go talk to him,” She grabbed her keys from the end of the counter and stored to the window, throwing it wide. Just as she did, she caught a pebble that would have otherwise struck the window. She dropped it and leaned out, looking down at the ground where Shikamaru stood.

 

She could see him swallow thickly, even from her height. He didn’t say anything for a while, but she let him speak first. Eventually, he looked around and then back up at her.

 

“Hey… I… I just wanted to say... hey,”

 

Naru glanced quickly over her shoulder at Konohamaru, who was staring at her and biting slowly into his apple.

 

She turned back to Shikamaru. “Hey,” She said, conscious of her little brother’s eyes on her back. “You… you feeling okay?”

 

Shikamaru pushed his hands into his pockets and looked away. “No, not really,”

 

“Mind if I come down?”

 

“Mm,” Shikamaru shrugged. Naru turned to Konohamaru and held her hand out to him. 

 

“Eat breakfast and then drink a glass of water if I’m not back by then,”

 

“Are you gonna go make out with him?”

 

“No, he has a girlfriend,” She snapped as she clambered out of the window and hung on the sill, “And I am just his friend and only his friend,”

 

“You have a lot of ‘just friends’,” 

 

“Eat your food, damn it,” Naru growled before jumping down off the wall and landing next to Shikamaru. She looked over at him.

 

“Hey… I… Sorry,”

 

“Who’s in your apartment right now?” Shikamaru asked, with an air of indifference that would have been convincing if she knew him any less. She smiled.

 

“Konohamaru Sarutobi,”

 

Shikamaru looked shocked. “Oh, that’s Asuma-sensei’s nephew. He’s always causing trouble,”

 

“Yeah, that’s him...” Naru said, glancing up at her window and turning toward Shikamaru, “Didn’t want him to be alone, you know? I’ve been giving him training tips and stuff. Just taijutsu and workouts, you know,”

 

Shikamaru was looking at her, most of the surprise worn off, and an expression she couldn’t read on his face. Maybe regret? but not really… She tilted her head. 

 

“You oka-“

 

“Do you even know how amazing you are?”

 

It was Naru’s turn to look surprised. She stared up at him. “W-what?”

 

He shook his head and reached out, grabbing the back of Naru’s shirt and dragging her into a hug.  _ Grief is really getting to him… _ He pressed his face into the top of her head.

 

“Hey, hey, Grumpy,” She said, wrapping her arms around him and tucking her face into his shoulder, “Don’t worry, I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere, yeah?”

 

She could feel him shaking, and Naru leaned back a little to meet his eye.

 

“What’s going on, Shika-kun?”

 

He softened and stepped back. “I’m just… yeah. I…” He swallowed thickly, and looked around, like he’d find something to say in the grass and cracked concrete. “I just wanted to say hey,”

 

“Wanna come up?” she said, gesturing at her window with the hand that held her keys. 

 

“Huh?” 

 

“Wanna come eat breakfast?” She offered, “Konohamaru would be glad to like, see you and stuff,”

 

Shikamaru shifted, stepping back again. A small step. Uncommitted. “No, I can’t. I just… Just wanted to see- I just wanted to say hey,”

 

“Okay. Uh, you know... “ Naru fidgeted for a moment, then looked up at him, “I’m not gonna come bother you. I think… Well, someone told me that I should let you be, and I know stuff between us has been weird since I came back, but… I’m your friend, and you’re like, one of my best friends on this planet, so like… uh… I well… I’m here for you if you need- or like, you want-” She sighed, running her hands through her hair, “Oh wow, I’m really fucking this up,” She looked down, away from him, at an ant crawling across the pavement not far from her bare foot. “I just want you to know that I adore you. You mean a lot to me and like, I guess, what I’m trying to say is that I’m here at your disposal. I’m ready to do anything you need me to do, cause I don’t know exactly how you’re feeling right now, but I know it’s not good, and you not feeling good is no good, so like, now I’m rambling, but… I’m here for you, you know?” She looked back up at him, tilting her head and dropping her hands, “Yeah, that’s it. I’m just here for you. You know, if you need me,”

 

Shikamaru was staring at her. For a moment, she felt foolish.  _ Of course he doesn’t need you, he doesn’t need your help, he has family and he has friends. You’re just the kid who left for three years and only came back to cause a headache. _

 

**_YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LET HIM BE, KIT._ **

 

“Thank you,” He said, voice quiet. His hands twitched. He seemed to hesitate. 

 

“You’re welcome,” She said. There was a moment when they were both quiet. Shikamaru cleared his throat. The sun was beating down on them. It was late morning. Their shadows were shrunken beneath their feet. Naru swallowed. There was an itch in her throat that made her want to cough- or scream. Maybe both. “Heya,”

 

Shikamaru looked back at her. “Heya,”

 

“Hi,”

 

“Hi,”

 

Naru walked forward and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him into a tight hug. “I love you, dude. You are so important to me. You’re like family,”

 

Shikamaru’s hands came to rest on her shoulders. She looked up at him. He nodded. “Sunshine, I have to go. I’ll see you later, okay?”

 

“You got a mission?”

 

“Yeah,” He said. 

 

**_LIAR._ **

 

“I’ll see you when you come back,” She said. Shikamaru stepped back, away from her, and turned around. She stood there, the cold late autumn air making her shiver. She glanced up at the window, where Konohamaru ducked quickly out of sight, then turned to face Shikamaru again. “Hey!”

 

Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder and she saw his lip twitch. “Hey,” And then he left. And she turned back to face the window.

 

“If there’s still cereal in that fucking bowl when I get up there I’m knocking your head against the counter, you little eavesdropper,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru: Hide (feat. Seezyn), Juice WRLD
> 
> Naru: Sorry, Nothing But Thieves
> 
> Konohamaru: Brick By Boring Brick, Paramore


	78. Shikamaru, Running Interference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru's time runs out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmmMMMMMM FUCK ME UP

The sunlight on her bright hair, her crooked smile and her newly chipped front tooth, her nervous fidgeting. Her heat against his body. The letter he had written to Temari, but hadn’t sent yet, telling her he had to speak to her next time she came to Konoha. The way he’d almost, almost told Naru everything. Where he was going, how he felt, how he was really there to see her one last time just in case. Just in case he wasn’t going out to avenge. Just in case he was faithfully marching to his death.

 

By the time Shikamaru came to stand at the gates, Ino and Choji were already there, in full armour. Ino hadn’t broken out her chest plate in almost a month, but there it was, embossed with flowers and gleaming, well polished and impossibly strong. Her chain-whips were strapped to her sides, and her chainmaille dress, underneath her plate armour, clinked softly as she crossed her arms.

 

“Two minutes late,” she teased, smiling at him. Choji elbowed her gently.

 

“Ease up on him,”

 

“Nah,” she said, flipping her hair. Shikamaru felt for the lighter in his pocket and nodded.

 

“Ready to go?”

 

“No, you’re not,” A low, feminine voice came from behind them. They all looked over, and the fifth Hokage herself was standing in the path ahead of them. Her eyes landed on Ino. “I really would have expected more from an ex student of mine, but then again, ex would be a key word,”

 

“Medical ninjutsu just wasn’t my thing. Sorry, Hokage-sama,” Ino said, placing her hands on her whips and flashing Tsunade a guilty smile. Tsunade’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t smile. 

 

“Anyway, what I was saying,” She snapped, “Is that you’re not going anywhere,”

 

Shikamaru stepped forward, brow furrowed, and held out his hand, “Hokage-sama, I don’t think you-”

 

“Don’t finish that sentence, and let me finish mine,” Tsunade barked, glaring at him, “I’m not going to tolerate any back talk today or any day, alright?” She relaxed a little, resting one hand on her hip and holding the other up lazily. “As I was saying. You aren’t going anywhere,” She snapped her fingers, and Kakashi Hatake dropped out of nowhere to stand behind her, “Without backup,”

 

_ Did they… did they plan that reveal ahead of time? _

 

Shikamaru smiled. “Kakashi-sensei,”

 

“Shikamaru-kun,” Kakashi nodded, following up with Ino and Choji. “I assume you have a plan?”

 

“You assumed correctly,” Shikamaru said, looking Kakashi up and down. Hands in his pockets, a permanent slouch. Hair always squashed to one side like he just woke up from a nap. The copy ninja. Over a thousand jutsu mastered. Famous.  _ Naru’s teacher. _

 

“Alright then. That’s all cleared up, we’re good to go,”

 

“Good, because we’re ten minutes behind schedule,” Choji chimed in, “And this is time-sensitive,”

 

“Then what are we waiting around for?” Kakashi asked, a smile in his voice. 

 

“You,” Shikamaru said, walking past him and pulling his bag higher on his shoulder, “Now let’s go,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru: Sunflower, Post Malone & Swae Lee (this is the only post malone song i will ever rec okay)
> 
> Empty, Olivia O'Brien


	79. Naru, Strong Backup To Follow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru does her best work when the pressure is on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

She smacked her hands together, and the explosion it set off blew her backward off her feet. She grunted as she hit the ground, but when her head stopped spinning and she sat up, the skin was still on her hands. She smiled. 

 

“You should try a different method,” Yamato called. He was in his circle still, trying to suppress Kurama. She wished she could tell him that Kurama was taking a nap, but it wasn’t a good idea to advertise that she had contact with him. Or at least that’s what Kurama had told her. 

 

Naru looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. “No, this one was better. I’m almost there. I think I need one part wind chakra to two parts regular chakra and then a slower introduction,”

 

“Whatever you say, kiddo,” Yamato sighed. Konohamaru looked up from where he was doing push-ups further back away from the river.

 

“You’re doing good, Nii-san! You only took forty seconds to regain consciousness that time!”

 

“That’s not normal, Konohamaru-kun!” Yamato barked, “you’re NOT supposed to lose consciousness during training. It’s bad for your brain,”

 

“Is that why Nii-san is like that?”

 

“HEY! Gimme five laps for that little shit-eater comment, brat,” Naru snapped, pointing at Konohamaru. The kid giggled and got up, starting his laps with a smile on his face. Naru looked around, then back at Yamato.

 

“Hey… Kakashi-sensei is… really  _ really  _ late. Like… three hours later than he usually is. Do you know why?”

 

“Oh… uh...” Yamato broke eye contact with Naru, and she held up a hand.

 

“Okay, I know whatever you’re about to tell me is a lie. Tell me the truth, Cap,”

 

Yamato shifted. “He’s on a mission,”

 

“Okay,” Naru said, waving him on. He shifted again. She sighed. “What mission?”

 

“Well…”

 

Naru paused. She glanced at Konohamaru, then back at Yamato.  _ Shikamaru… This morning. _ He’d been acting so strange, coming to see her, not wanting to stay, not knowing what to say to her. She narrowed her eyes.  _ They’re going to go avenge Asuma, aren’t they?   _ “Where is Kakashi-sensei?”

 

“I’m not telling you until you master this new jutsu,” 

 

Naru glared at him. “Where did they go?” 

 

Yamato shifted again. Naru scowled and turned around, channelling her chakra into her hands and summoning her rasengan. She pressed them together, starting her Chakra Saw. With a something that was very nearly a growl she pushed wind chakra into both her hands, and a sound like metal grinding rang through the clearing. She pulled her hands slowly apart again. Konohamaru sat up, covering his ears, and Naru turned back to face Yamato, holding the two modified Rasengan aloft. 

 

“Where is Shikamaru?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: What's Up Danger (with Black Caviar), Blackway, Black Caviar
> 
> Yamato: Memories, Thutmose


	80. Shikamaru, Who In Here Tryna Start It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ino kicks off Shikamaru's plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh i had so much fun with Ino's new armour and abilities. if spider gwen and trevor belmont had a baby

Shikamaru sped up so that he was running beside Kakashi, and the man shot him a sidelong glance. “What’s on your mind?” 

 

Shikamaru fished the little syringe out of his pocket. “I’m actually really glad you’re here. I have a plan to separate the two members. One has powers that makes him capable of engaging in combat with multiple enemies at once. The other I plan on taking alone. Before I can leave though, I’m gonna need you to fill that with the blood of your opponent… preferably without him noticing,”

 

“Do you really think you can take an Akatsuki member on your own?” 

 

“I had time to plan this,”

 

“Okay, whatever you say. Naru trusts your judgement. I think she trusts your judgement more than she trusts mine,”

 

_ She talks about me? _

 

They reached the place where Shikamaru had planned to intercept them, with its scorched trees and parched earth. It created the illusion that they were all wandering around in the skeleton of some goliath creature. 

 

Shikamaru gestured for them to hold still, and they all shrank into the shadows to wait for the pair. Shikamaru’s heart was beating like a war drum, and he could see Ino, the person nearest him, slowly drawing her whips from their fastenings and letting them fall on either side one her, the heavy handles in her hands. Asuma had had them made just for her. The perfect weapon for this mission. 

 

It felt like an eternity before they heard voices. Shikamaru tensed, listening closely.

 

“ _ And _ my fucking feet hurt like a bitch-”

 

He signalled to Ino, who then signalled to Choji and Kakashi on the other side of the path the Akatsuki members were walking down. Shikamaru stretched his shadow out to match that of the ashen tree trunk he was hiding behind. Ino spun out from behind her tree and lashed out with her chains. They reached out and snapped around a pair of trees across the path behind the akatsuki members, and with an expression of determination, she ran her chakra through the metal. 

 

Between the two chains, a rock wall rose, stretching up toward the sky with a cracking noise that made Shikamaru smile.  _ She’s really gotten good at that _ . She sprinted around the back of the wall, and swung her whips skyward, using them to launch herself to the top of the wall, where she stood, drawing the attention of both the men on the ground below. She latched the whips together at the handles and let it slide through her hand as she flung one end down at Hidan’s head. 

 

The other man, Kakuzu, let a thread fly from his hand, where it caught the end of Ino’s whip and drew taught, pulling it away from Hidan and toward him. Ino laughed as she yanked upward hard, the chain clinking as Kakuzu, caught off guard by Ino’s strength, was pulled away from Hidan’s side. He quickly recovered, planting his feet firmly and returning Ino’s pull.

 

She was smiling, and as she was pulled off the wall she turned in mid air, arcing gracefully over the Akatsuki member’s heads and landing on their far side, the long chain still connecting Kakuzu to her. She yanked hard again, turning Kakuzu back around to face her, and slung the whip sideways with the slack she had gained. The heavy centerpoint where the handles were conjoined rocketed out toward Hidan, and he had to counter it with his scythe to stop it from braining him. Realising the accidental advantage that he had given Ino in making himself into an anchor, Kakuzu released the end of her whip, and Ino pulled it back, snatching the handles from the air and disconnecting them. With one whip in each hand, she was beaming as brightly as the sun reflecting off her armour. 

 

“Who are you?” Kakuzu asked roughly, his brow furrowed.

 

“Who, me?” Ino asked in a sugar sweet voice, drawing one of her whips back, the sound of the metal slithering along the ground sending shivers up Shikamaru’s spine, “I’m the girl of your fucking nightmares, buddy,”

 

And then she spun on the spot, the chains in her hands swinging out around her at such a speed that if it struck a normal man they would cut him right in half.  She began to approach, swinging her whips around her faster and faster until they blurred into what looked like a single blade rotating around her body. Both Hidan and Kakuzu were taken aback again, choosing to fall back rather than try to avoid the chains swinging at their eye level.

 

“What the fuck?” Hidan snapped, ducking backward as Ino slowed down and focused her attention on him again. She slung one chain out at him, which he deflected with his scythe. Kakuzu’s thread stretched out again, making to catch Ino, but with a flick of her wrist she sliced clean through it. Shikamaru felt his lip curl into a smirk. Asuma would be proud of the chakra control she was packing. She really was channeling him. Kakuzu seemed to have taken her ability to wield the chains as well as he worked his threads personally. 

 

_ Come on, come on, make ‘em sweat, Ino. _

 

And the whips were in the air again, but this time Ino was being forced into a defensive position. Hidan moved to swing his scythe out at her, and Shikamaru almost sprung out of hiding to protect her, but one of Kakuzu’s threads pulled it back.

 

“This one’s mine,” He growled. Ino let out a slightly breathless laugh as she sliced his threads out of the air. She was stepping backward, one small step at a time. She glanced in the direction of where Kakashi and Choji were waiting for her signal. 

 

There was a crashing noise as Choji knocked down the tree he was hiding behind, running along it as it fell, his hand swelling as he swung out, his hand slamming Kakuzu sideways into hidan and forcing them back. 

 

Kakashi appeared behind them, clutching lightning in the palm of his hand.  _ So that’s the famous Chidori… _

 

He thrust it through Kakuzu’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ino: Start A Riot, Duckwrth, Shaboozey


	81. Naru, Stop Kicking Down Doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mmmMmmmMm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my motivation was way down today sorry guys

Naru planted her foot and put all her weight behind her leg as she thrust it forward. The door flew off its hinges, crashing into the Hokage’s office and breaking a bookshelf. Tsunade was on her feet, looking ready for a fight as Naru stepped into her office and pointed at her.

 

“Baa-chan send me after team ten and Kakashi-sensei!” She barked. There was a moment where Tsunade looked ready to shatter every bone in Naru’s body, and Naru stepped closer, dropping her voice slightly. “ _ Please _ ,”

 

“Stop breaking my door down, brat,” Tsunade barked. Naru gritted her teeth and stared Tsunade down.

 

“You approved that mission. Let me go after them,”

 

Tsunade pursed her lips and glanced behind Naru as Yamato came running up behind Naru, his eyes flying to the broken door and his face sinking into guilt.

 

“Sorry, Hokage-sama. I wasn’t expecting her to just-”

 

“Fine,” Tsunade spat, throwing a paper aside in disgust as she sat heavily in the seat. “But Sakura is going with you,”

 

“Even better,” Naru said, “Thanks, Baa-chan,”

 

“You leave in ten minutes from the front gates. Shikamaru planned to meet them in the scorch,” 

 

“Gotcha,” Naru said, turning on her heels and storming out of the office. Yamato matched her, falling into step at her side and looking down, anger and disappointment on his face. 

 

“You can’t do that,” He said. She scowled.

 

“Just did, cap. I can’t let Shika-kun do this alone. He could-” She swallowed, still with her eyes fixed ahead. “He needs his backup generator for stuff like this,”

  
“ _ Backup _ -” But Naru was already up on the nearest roof, running out toward the hospital. It would be faster if she caught Sakura out and they all left from there. The scorch was almost an hour away. They had to leave as quickly as possible. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: The Violence, Rise Against


	82. Shikamaru, The Snare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shikamaru is my baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ughghghggghghhghhhhhhghgghhghhgghggh sorry this is short I just like can’t rn

Shikamaru grit his teeth. Choji was close to putting Hidan right where they wanted him, but Kakuzu was proving more difficult to take care of than originally planned.

 

_ One unkillable opponent was bad enough. But two? _

 

He was still hiding, the shadow of the tree still holding his trap, as Choji fought Hidan back and Ino fought Kakuzu with Kakashi’s help. Shikamaru kept having to remind himself that the help he could offer was minimal, that in order to take care of Hidan he had to stay hidden. There was a plan. His teammates were capable. Hidan just needed to step back two more feet. 

 

Two more feet and he’d be as good as dead.

 

Hidan took one step back. Then another. Choji rolled toward him, and he jumped back and to the side, directly in the shadow of the tree. His eyes shot wide. Choji sprang out of this roll and grinned. 

 

“What the-“

 

Shikamaru stepped out from his hiding spot. Ino and Kakashi drew back, and Shikamaru joined Choji. He looked around at his teammates. holding his hand out to Kakashi.

 

“Thank you,” He said, meeting his eyes. Shikamaru has never seen so much on Kakashi’s face, or the scar running over his eye and cheek.

 

He hoped that Naru and Sakura wouldn’t ever have to feel what he was feeling. 

 

Kakashi took his hand, pressing the syringe into his palm and nodding. “Survive this,”

 

“Right back at you,” He looked over at Choji and Ino.

 

“See you later,”

 

Ino and choji just nodded. Shikamaru turned to face Hidan. 

 

“It’s time,”

 

“Aren’t you that kid? From the fight a few days back?”

 

Shikamaru turned and started running without looking back, forcing Hidan to run along behind him. He didn’t look back as he heard Kakuzu and his team begin to fight. If he did he might not be able to keep going. To leave his team before the fight was over… 

 

But he had a plan, and he had to avenge Asuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shika: Can’t Stop, Red Hot Chili Peppers


	83. Naru, Hurry Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mini chap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have to do some BIAT chapters to get my mojo back because i'm flagging ugh

Naru glanced over her shoulder, at Yamato and Sakura, both of whom were lagging behind.

 

“C’mon, every second we waste could be crucial. We’re nearly there,”

 

“Naru if we exhaust ourselves then we aren’t going to be any help at all. We need to move fast, it’s true, but we can’t use all our energy before we even get there,” Sakura said, sounding, even as she spoke, slightly out of breath. Naru turned back around and grit her teeth. 

 

“I know… But… they don’t know what the akatsuki are capable of. I’ve met more of these guys than anyone in the village. I’m scared for Ino and Choji-chan and Kakashi-sensei and… and Shika…” She swallowed and furrowed her brow. “I’ll personally tear the heart out of the Akatsuki one by one if anything happens to them. I probably will anyway, but if they hurt anyone else I love, I’ll do it much…  _ much _ slower,”

 

Sakura’s footsteps sped up. Naru looked down as Sakura caught her hand and gripped it tightly. “And I’ll be there, right at your side,” She said, with all the fierceness in her body. Naru let herself smile.

 

“And I’m so glad I have you,” 

 

Sakura smiled back, and they both looked forward. They had another ten minutes before they reached the scorch. The land had been burned badly in a fight decades ago, and the land had never recovered. It was undoubtedly a good place to have a fight. Nothing but the Akatsuki would be harmed if even the land was dead. Naru would make sure of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Bulletproof, La Roux


	84. Shikamaru, The Trap Set Ahead Of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru is so good ugh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love shika

Shikamaru was running into the Nara clan’s woods, Hidan behind him, unable to break out of the shadow possession. He could feel his chakra draining, but he knew his limits. He could last. He knew he could last. 

 

“You’re gonna die, kid,” Hidan snarled, “You just guaranteed it, facing me one on one,”

 

Shikamaru didn’t respond. He just kept his eyes fixed ahead and his plan in his mind. They were nearly there. 

 

“Do you hear me? You’re going to die, just like your freaking captain. He wasn’t even fun, I didn’t even get to enjoy it,”

 

Shikamaru grit his teeth and pressed on, his legs burning and his breath shallow and quick. There was no point in speaking to him. He would pay for every word, every breath, ever second in blood twice over in mere moments. They were very nearly there.

 

“I’m going to taste your blood, kid. You’ll see your captain again soon,” Hidan barked. Shikamaru turned. The shadow broke.

 

“You think so?” He shouted, hands shaking. he pulled a knife and the syringe from his weapons pouch, whipping the knife at Hidan, who dodged it easily with a laugh.

 

“Oh kid, I  _ know _ so,” He pulled his scythe from his back and began whipping it around, slinging it out toward Shikamaru. 

 

_ Here’s the tough part. Have to make it look good. _

 

He ducked, he twisted, he avoided every swipe and strike Hidan threw at him. Then, just as Hidan was beginning to become concerned, He did it. He drew back, hesitated, just a second, but it was enough. Hidan yanked hard on the scythe’s chain, and it came rocketing back toward him. He lingered, jand he brought the syringe up in his hand.

 

he hissed, as though he was in pain, as the scythe cracked the glass of the syringe. Hidan grinned, and Shikamaru crushed the remainder of the syringe against his arm, letting the blood run down his arm and between his fingers. Hidan caught his scythe and licked the blood from it, laughing as he stabbed his hand and spilled his own blood on the ground. Shikamaru played it up. He looked down at his arm in horror, then over at Hidan, who was drawing his sigil on the ground.

 

“You know, kid,” Hidan smiled, “It’s a shame you’re a filthy heathen. Hey… Might not be too late to convert,” 

 

Shikamaru stared at him, eyes wide, and watched as Hidan drew his spear from his hand. Hidan cackled madly.

 

“Just kidding! Die, brat!” And he thrust the weapon through his chest. His eyes slid closed, his body trembled. “Oh, that’s the stuff…”

 

Shikamaru turned and slashed the wire tied to the nearest tree. Hidan’s face snapped forward, his eyes coming back into focus as the trap shikamaru had set ahead of time descended onto him, wrapping his every limb in kilometres of wire. Shikamaru knelt and performed shadow stitching, the shadows striking against the remaining trip wires, and the metal glinted as it tightened around him, pulling him entirely off the ground and into the air. He squirmed and swore and his eyes flew wide.

 

“What? But… But I…”

 

“But you’re an idiot,” Shikamaru said, standing and walking forward, driving his heel hard against the surface of the pit he had dug and causing the cover to fall into it, thudding to the bottom in a far away, muffled kind of way. He looked back up at Hidan, hatred coursing through him, so freezing cold it burned. “And you’re about to pay for what you’ve done,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru: Hook, Line & Sinker, Royal Blood


	85. Naru, You A Deadman Forreal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru arrives on the scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should be allowed to scream in public without getting weird looks

Naru sprinted out of the woods and onto the scorch, taking in what she could of the situation. She couldn’t see Shikamaru anywhere, but there were two strange, masked figures fighting both Ino and Choji. Kakashi was standing on a nearby tree trunk, watching a strange, dark man with long hair and bright green eyes struggle back to his feet, clutching his lower right rib cage and grimacing. From his back was a squirming mass of black threads, twisting and undulating like they had a mind of their own.

 

Naru sprinted out onto the field and slammed her fist hard into Choji’s opponent, looking over her shoulder as the thing was knocked back. Choji looked battered and exhausted.

 

“Where’s Shika?” She snapped as she took over his fight. Choji grunted and stepped forward to help.

 

“He left with the one who killed Asuma-sensei-“

 

“He’s by  _ himself _ with an  _ Akatsuki member _ ?” Naru bellowed, bringing her hands together and summoning the rasengan, then leaping into the air and smacking both hands down onto the creature’s face. She looked up just as one of Ino’s whips shattered the clay mask of the other creature. Ino was in full samurai armour, her chestplate made of metal and gleaming brightly in the sun. She was so bright she was almost blinding, despite a fairly bad cut across her cheekbone. She looked over at NAru, then around at Sakura, taking in her friend’s appearance with an expression of relief and… something else. Sadness?

 

Kakashi, however, exhausted and distracted by Naru’s arrival, was slammed back into the nearest tree and slumped at its base. Naru turned, watching in horror as the stranger advanced, looking furious and determined. 

 

“That’s three hearts your antics have cost me. I’ll be collecting reparations now,” He snarled. Kakashi’s hands twitched, but remained slumped, obviously too disoriented to react.

 

Naru screamed, charging forward and throwing herself in front of her teacher. A thick black thread was rocketing from behind the stranger’s shoulder, snapping out toward her. She jolted aside, the thread running through her bicep instead of her chest. She grunted, twisting and grasping it, yanking it hard as she leapt away from Kakashi, glaring at the Akatsuki member who had her arm skewered. The thread thrashed, tearing the muscle further even as she tightened her grip on it.

 

“I’m your opponent now,” She growled, yanking the thread again, pulling it from her muscle and forcing him closer to her. “Just you and me, do you hear?” warm blood was running down her arm, and she glanced over the man’s shoulder, meeting eyes with Ibara, who was hesitating at Yamato’s side.

 

“Get Sakura to Shikamaru. Now,” She said. Ibara hesitated again, looking at her in a panicked way, and she gritted her teeth and pulled the Akatsuki member again, hurling him aside as she let go of the thread. “Now! I got this!” She snarled, turning away to face the man, whose joints had disconnected entirely, revealing the thick black thread that seemed to fill his body. Naru stepped toward him, putting just that little bit more distance between this fight and her friends behind her. The man- no,  _ monster _ , in front of her had his green eyes fixed on her face. 

 

“Your friend is already dead,” He snarled,black thread pouring from his mouth, “and you’ll be joining him soon,”

 

Naru cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders, levelling her gaze at him. “You fucked with the wrong squad,” She said, calm as she could, “And the deadman here is you,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Familia (with Anuel Aa, feat. Bantu), Nicki Minaj, Anuel Aa, Bantu


	86. Shikamaru, Your Pathetic God Can't Hear You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru gets revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMM ILY shika you did good

Shikamaru was glaring at Hidan, suspended above the pit and the wires binding him tightening slowly. Some of them had already torn through his cloak. Blood was running down his body, visible on his toes and dripping down into the pit as the wires dug into his skin. 

 

“These woods belong to my clan,” He said calmly, looking up at Hidan’s dark eyes. “No one else has ever step foot in them. They say that the Nara can see through the eyes of the deer. That my ancestors guard the grounds here,” He looked over his shoulder. He felt more than his ancestors there today. He felt as though Asuma was there, watching him avenge his death. He looked back at Hidan, “So you should understand, before I do this, that these are your last moments breathing fresh air. That you’re going to suffocate beneath the earth. That your immortality will be your curse. That every second for the rest of your miserable eternity will be nothing but agony. You’ll wish that you could die. You’ll wish every second that you could stop existing, that you’d never been born.  _ That you had never crossed me. _ There is no escape. There will be no rescue. There is no way out. This is your fate,”

 

“Jashin will punish you for this,” Hidan spat, his face twisted in pain as the wires slowly sliced through his body. Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow.

 

“ _ Jashin? _ ” He sneered. He threw a knife into the trees, cutting the last trip wire. 

 

The trees all snapped back into their original place, pulling the wires attached to them back as they did. Hidan fell into the pit in pieces, his blood spraying in every direction. Shikamaru looked down at the remains of the man who had killed his teacher. 

 

“ _ Jashin…  _ Listen. Pathetic little Jashin isn’t your god anymore,” He threw a kunai with a paper bomb attached into the far wall of the pit, watching it ignite. “I am,”

 

The bomb blew, and Hidan screamed and swore revenge as he was buried under the collapsing pit. Shikamaru watched, as every rock and pebble toppled over the remains of the man he hated more than he had ever thought himself capable of. 

 

He watched his biggest enemy buried alive, and it fixed  _ nothing _ .

 

He felt it. A hand on his shoulder that wasn’t there. The smell of an unlit cigarette. He closed his eyes and drew out the lighter. He flicked it, and held it out. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Asuma-sensei,” He said, feeling his chest burn as he did, “I’m going to be there for your kid. Every second. I’ll be there. You don’t have to worry. They’ll know just how loved they are. I swear,”

 

There was a smell of a burning cigarette, and Shikamaru thought of Choji, crying, and Ino, vaulting over enemies from her perch atop a wall of stone. How Asuma had taught them. How Asuma had been there.

 

“Thank you,”

 

The pressure of a hand on his shoulder lifted, but the smell of smoke lingered.

 

It made his eyes burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru: Down, Thousand Foot Krutch


	87. Naru, Give It Your All And Have Nothing Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru shows off her new jutsu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went to a house party and the dog didn’t like me...

Naru was slammed down by a group of threads, one rising and moving to strike her chest. She yelled and pulled the kunai from her vambraces, running her chakra through them and slicing through Kakuzu’s threads. She leapt back to her feet, and turned, knives in hand, back to face Kakuzu, with his tangle of threads writhing around him like a demonic aura. Naru narrowed her eyes as he seemed to size her up again. 

 

“You’re wasting my time,” He snarled. Naru sneered at him, but didn’t respond.

 

**_WASTING TIME? WASTING TIME? HE HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF FACING YOU IN BATTLE AND HE HAS THE NERVE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IT? LET ME OUT. I’LL RIP HIM LIMB FROM LIMB._ **

 

_ He’s already ripped limb from limb! Look at him! Anyway, I want to take care of this myself. _

 

She resheathed her knives and conjured up clones. Two of them, behind her, one of which summoned her rasengan as the other pulled her into the air and hurled her at Kakuzu. He struck her out of the air. But it was enough, the momentary distraction was enough for her to replace herself with another clone and begin to sneak around him as he fought her copies. 

 

He wasn’t expecting it, when she stepped out behind him, Rasengan in her palms, wind chakra pumping into it. He probably wouldn’t have noticed, if it weren’t for the deafening sound of it, and the feeling. The wind blasting the ash and dirt away from her as she slowly forced her hands together in front of her. The jutsu had taken shape, rotating quickly in both hands, looking like a pair of shuriken rocketing through the air, turning in her palms like a table saw. Every ounce of her Chakra was in this, the palms of her hands, visible and audible and imminent. She raised her hands and brought them down into his chest as he turned around, and he was blasted back by the force of it. She was too, flying through the air backward away from the point of impact. One of her feet finally hit the ground, and she dragged her heel down hard, thudding down and winding up flat on her back, watching the wind blow the clouds across the sky. Her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t feel her fingers. Actually…

 

She couldn’t feel her arms at all. Her body was entirely drained. She’d never felt so exhausted in her life. She strained to lift her head off the ground, inch by trembling inch,, and saw Kakuzu’s body, suspended in midair, buffeted in each and every direction by what looked like thousands of tiny chakra needles. After a few seconds, it stopped, and Kakuzu dropped to the ground with a thud. Naru groaned and let her head fall back to the ground too.

 

Someone was running toward her, and suddenly Ino was hovering over her, checking her pulse in her neck and pulling her up into her lap. Naru blinked up at her and shot her a half hearted smile. 

 

“Sorry for swiping your enemy,” She said, “He just pissed me off,”

 

“No big deal,” Ino said, trying to start up some medical jutsu that she couldn’t seem to get a handle on. Naru sighed.

 

“Are Shikamaru and Sakura back yet?” She asked, looking down at her limp and unresponsive arms. Ino didn’t answer. Naru looked back up at her, wishing she could shield her eyes from the glare reflecting off of Ino’s chest plate. “Ino… Where are Shika and Sakura,”

 

“They haven’t come back yet,”

 

“Oh, I’m going to be sick,” Naru moaned, moving to roll out of Ino’s lap, “Help me up, I have to go and get them,”

 

“You can hardly move!”

 

“Why do you think I asked for you to help me?” She whined, straining hard. Ino shook her head and pushed Naru back into her lap with a hand on her shoulder. Naru groaned.

 

“Please, Ino… Please, you have to- I need to go and help them… If either of them get hurt-“

 

“Then it won’t be your fault. Lay down and have faith in them,”

 

Naru looked up at her, and Ino pulled Naru’s headband off. 

 

“Your fight is over for the moment,” She said, “It’s okay,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Willing To Die, Gin Wigmore


	88. Ibara and Sakura, Getting the Gang Back Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ibara finds Shika out in the woods somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry that I didn't post yesterday. I've been feeling very strange and odd.

Ibara skidded to a halt, a few yards out from the edge of the Nara’s forest. She could hear it. The snapping of twigs beneath hooves. She trod carefully closer, and she saw it.

 

Shikamaru, flanked by two massive deer, their antlers massive and threatening, picking their way through the trees. Ibara dropped to a crouch and brandished a knife. 

 

“Prove it’s you,” She growled, eyes narrowed. Shikamaru looked at her, tilting his head.

 

“You’re a healer, Sakura,” He said, hands in his pockets, “But you aren’t Sakura, are you? You’re the other one,”

 

Ibara nodded, and stood up. “Ibara. Haven’t I introduced myself before? I swear that I have…”

 

Shikamaru just looked at her. She sighed.

 

“Did you do it? Are you injured?”

 

“Yes,” He said, patting the neck of one of the deer, then stepping out of the trees, “And no. When did you get here?”

 

“Naru, Captain and I all arrived twenty five minutes ago,” She said, “She’s facing off with the other one,”

 

Shikamaru stiffened. “But the others are with her, right?”

 

Ibara pursed her lips. 

 

“She’s not letting anyone back her up, is she?”

 

Ibara tilted her head. “Let’s head back,”

 

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Shikamaru said, breaking into a run and grabbing Ibara’s wrist. She tensed up, trying hard to resist the urge to break his hand, and ran with him.

 

“Let go,” She growled, yanking her arm free and picking up her pace, easily outstripping him. He scowled and tried to match. He was exhausted. She could see it. Naru was always so concerned for this boy. His low chakra, his low energy, lack of good combat jutsu. She had reason to be. 

 

But he’d taken on an akatsuki member solo. And he had won. Ibara looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was just full of surprises. And Naru still cared about him, even after all that Temari nonsense. Well… she still cared about Sasuke too, and he had tried to kill her. Three or four times. Maybe that said more about Naru’s ability to forgive than it did about the boys she chose to forgive.

 

“Does it feel good?”

 

“What?” Shikamaru asked sharply, his voice irritated, like he didn’t want to speak to her. Ibara turned her head toward him a little and smiled. 

 

“Getting revenge, of course. Does it feel good?”

 

“It’s not going to bring Asuma-sensei back,” He said coldly, “But I had to do it,”

 

Ibara laughed, ruffling the hair at the back of her head. She looked over her shoulder at him again, fully this time. “Wanted to do it. You don’t have to do anything ‘cept die,  _ Grumpy _ ,”

 

“You don’t get to call me that,” He snapped. She narrowed his eyes at her. “Okay, well, it certainly didn’t feel unpleasant,”

 

“Knew it,” She laughed, skidding through the silt and onto the scorch in a cloud of dirt. As it settled, both she and Shikamaru lay eyes on Naru, flat on her back, her head in Ino’s lap, not moving save for her mouth. 

 

“Naru…” Shikamaru said, rushing forward, falling to his knees at her side. Ibara was frozen to the spot, watching Naru’s ribcage, waiting for it to stutter upward.

 

_ Let me out, Ibara, let me out, let me out now. _

 

**_Sakura…_ **

 

_ Let. Me. Out.  _

 

And then Sakura took the controls, Ibara was yanked back, thrust away from the controls, and Sakura was running toward Naru, pushing Shikamaru and Ino back. She brought her hands together over Naru’s chest and started pressing her chakra through her hands and into Naru. 

 

Naru’s eyes fluttered open. She groaned, and then struggled to sit up, her arms wobbling uselessly at her sides. “No, no, don’t do that- Shika! Shikamaru, oh, I’m so glad you’re okay,” She leaned forward so far that she began to fall over again, but Shikamaru reached out and caught her. Her weight almost knocked him over. “Did you do it?”

 

“Yeah, I did it,”

 

“I killed my guy too! We should celebrate...” She said, slumping hard into him. He smiled a small smile into her shoulder and shook his head.

 

“We can celebrate… after you go to the hospital,” 

 

“Hate… the hospital,”

 

“That’s okay, but…” Shikamaru looked at her, “Oh, she’s… She’s out. Sakura, can you, can you start healing her again, please?”

 

Sakura paused, looking at him. She raised her hands and started the healing jutsu again, holding it to Naru as she leaned against Shikamaru. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ibara: Mine (acoustic version), The Mayries
> 
> Shikamaru: the broken hearts club, gnash


	89. Naru, Bad News Times Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru wakes up in the hospital. Shocking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY THIS WAS RISKY SO SO RISKY I'M FEELIN THESE NERVES MY FRIENDS

Naru’s eyes slid open, and she groaned. Her arms  _ ached _ . In fact, they were agony. She shifted, trying to sit up, but there was a tug at her chest and her arms were so stiff she couldn’t move them. 

 

She looked down. Her arms were in thick white casts. She shifted again, feeling the tug on her chest again and looking around. An IV was taped to her chest. She scowled and leaned toward it, catching the tube in her teeth and biting through it. The saline filled her mouth, and she spat it out, scowling and trying to sit up again. The sound of the saline pouring out onto the floor was probably not loud enough to alert anyone. She swung her legs out of the bed, struggling upright and scowling again. Her bare feet hit the cold tile and she stoop, her arms in their casts useless and crooked. 

 

She turned and walked through the curtain that someone had drawn across her half of the room, unable to slide it across again, she just let it slowly trail over her head as she walked toward where she thought the door was. She crashed into another bed, and someone in the room laughed and pulled the curtain off of her. 

 

“You really figured that after last time we’d leave you unsupervised, huh?” Tsunade said, tilting her head. “Did you really bite through the IV tubing?”

 

“No I used IV-Slice-no-jutsu. Of course I bit it,” Naru snapped, scowling up at the hokage and waving her useless arms, “what the hell is this?”

 

“They’re called casts, and we need to talk about some stuff, so sit the hell down and shut up,”

 

Naru frowned. Tsunade didn’t sound nearly as vicious as she usually did. Naru glanced around. This was likely bad. “No one… no one visited while I was out,”

 

“Lots of people did. I sent them away. We really need to talk about… We took some MRI’s-”

 

“...What’s an MRI,”

 

“We took some pictures of your organs,”

 

“Did they look cool?” Naru asked nervously, sitting on the bed and looking up at Tsunade. Tsunade pursed her lips and turned, grabbing the chari from the corner, sitting down and sighing, rubbing her brow bone and looking… tired. She bit her lip and met Naru’s eyes.

 

Naru tried to ignore the way her stomach began to twist. The way her nervousness bent in her stomach. Tsunade swallowed and looked around, then back at Naru. “Well. First of all, you can’t use that jutsu anymore. It cut off chakra flow to your arms. If you keep using it, your arms could fall off,”

 

Naru scowled. “What? No way! What was the point of all that-”

 

“Naru, let me speak! That’s… that’s not all. Listen kiddo... have… have you ever heard of the term intersex before?”

 

“Isn’t that… like…” She made a gesture, and Tsunade wrinkled her nose.

 

“Not inter _ course _ ! Inter _ sex _ ,” Tsunade looked around. “I assume you know about… the different reproductive systems,”

 

“I’ve been to gender-neutral bathhouses and I’m not  _ twelve _ ,” Naru responded, crossing her arms. Tsunade pursed her lips. 

 

“Yes, well, I’m sure you’ve noticed that everyone is different,”

 

“Obviously,”

 

“And so are you,”

 

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

 

“Well,” Tsunade took a deep breath, “You may have noticed you’ve developed a little differently from other girls,”

 

“Is this because I’m ugly? Are you really giving me a doctor talk because my face is busted?” Naru snapped, moving to cross her arms but flinching as her casts just smacked against one another. Tsunade shook her head.

 

“You aren’t ugly, Naru. You’re just… well, here’s the thing. It’s good that we found this out early. Some people don’t find out until they actually  _ try _ to have children, and it leads to a lot of heartache and… pain down the line. But you’re young, and you don’t want children, right now, obviously. You have a long time to… to come to terms with… all of this,” She sighed, and the pit of Naru’s stomach dropped out.

 

“I can’t have kids?”

 

Tsunade met her eyes and sighed. “No. You can’t have genetic children. I’m sorry,”

 

“... N-never?” Naru asked, hating the way that her voice sounded so small in her throat. How it died in her mouth, how it stuttered. She hated the way her eyes were burning as she broke eye contact and looked at the wall, taking a deep breath, forcing the air through her tight throat. She bit her lip hard, drawing blood, and nodded. “Okay. Thank you. Can you take the needle out of my chest please?”

 

Tsunade hesitated, but Naru turned back to face her, meeting her eyes and swallowing. 

 

“Please, Baa-chan?”

 

Tsunade nodded and leaned forward, pulling the needle from the vein in her chest and pressing some gauze to the place where it had been. Naru let her tape it down, and then stood. 

 

“I’m going to… I’m going to go. I’ll see you,”

 

“Naru it’s too cold, you can’t,”

 

“Baa-chan,” Naru snapped. Tsunade paused, then sighed. She moved around Naru, out into the hallway. 

 

“It’s okay. You can go in,” She said to someone as she left the room. Naru tensed up. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. She didn’t want to pretend that she was okay. Not to Sakura or Shikamaru or…

 

But it wasn’t one of her friends who turned and walked into the room, holding a pile of loose fitting clothes and looking nervous.

 

Naru’s shoulders slumped. She rushed forward. She let the tears roll down her face as he pressed her face into his chest and her casts to his sides. “Iruka-sensei!” She sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. 

 

“Hey kiddo,” He said softly, “It’s okay. You did good. You did great,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Infinitesimal, Mother Mother
> 
> Tsunade: ocean eyes, Billie Eilish


	90. Sasuke, The End Of An Era

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke pulls the motherfucking trigger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmMMMMM okay there she is. there's the motivation. i missed you boo thing.

Sasuke Uchiha was strolling through the halls of the latest hideout. He was plateauing. He hadn’t seen any significant improvement in himself in weeks. Orochimaru was weak. Pathetic, sick, coughing in bed. He had nothing left to offer him, and Sasuke knew what his plan was. 

 

_ Well. That’s not going to happen. _

 

Sasuke was going to end it. All of it. The experiments, the threats, the reincarnations. He shuddered. Kabuto’s body, suspended in liquid, twitching as Orochimaru ran electricity through it. The experiments had to end. 

 

So he drew to a halt outside the door. He waited until he heard the coughing. And then… Then he drew the sword and levelled it through door at where he knew Orochimaru sat in his bed.

 

Then he struck. The sword extended. He felt it strike something, yanked asid, and a cry of pain. He shattered the door and stepped into the room. Orochimaru’s eyes were fixed on his face.

 

“A betrayal I expected,” Orochimaru wheezed, his arms pinned to the wall by Sasuke’s sword, “But not anymore welcome for the anticipation. Sasuke-kun, you really want to do this?”

 

“Hm,” Sasuke hummed, narrowing his eyes at the man, “Of course I do. You disgust me. I find you repulsive in every way, and I’ve known your plan all along. I’ve taken what you had to offer, and now that there’s nothing more, I’m going to leave. Of course, I can’t expect to be able to just… stroll out of here, now can I? No. I’ll have to kill you in order to prevent your pursuit. This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? That you couldn’t acquire the sharingan through any other means than taking an Uchiha’s body, and having either failed or realising that you couldn’t take Itachi’s, you went for the fledgeling, a child who had not yet reached their potential, the potential of the Uchiha- of the Sharingan,”

 

Orochimaru snarled, but Sasuke pressed on. 

 

“Well, it didn’t work. Your plan failed. You made one too many mistakes. This fledgeling has outgrown you, and now you’ll pay with your life,”

 

“You really think-” but Orochimaru broke into a coughing fit, and Sasuke sneered. 

 

“Yes, I do,”

 

Orochimaru threw his head back as Sasuke ran the chidori through the sword, electrocuting Orochimaru, whose body was still trying to hack up whatever lung-part it was rejecting now. 

 

“You disgust me,” Sasuke said, drawing back his sword and moving to strike. Orochimaru hesitated, but scrambled out of bed, his mouth opening wide and something shooting out of his throat. A massive, paper-white snake with a face something like his own. Sasuke looked up at it, disgust welling up in his chest. 

 

“So that’s your true form,” He said, brandishing his sword and letting his curse mark spread over his body. 

 

He didn’t really need to focus. Attacking the ailing old man was not a difficult task. He was weakened so much by illness and the rejection of his current body, it was hard to believe he was  _ ever _ a sannin. 

 

So he sliced his head off quickly, and was surprised when he felt frozen. 

 

_ The ground at his feet was churning, a living thing, as though he was in the mouth of some disgusting monster. He tilted his head and looked up, seeing Orochimaru- the form Orochimaru most often took, rather, because it couldn’t be Orochimaru’s body, the one he had been occupying moments before. That, he had destroyed.  _

 

_ “And here it comes, the time that I take your body,” _

 

_ Sasuke couldn’t help it. His lip twitched. He smirked as the disgusting ground began to climb up his frame, threatening to devour him. He looked at Orochimaru’s face and shook his head.  _

 

_ “Ah… funny thing,” He said. The fleshy substance surrounding him halted. It retreated. He looked up at Orochimaru, and suddenly Orochimaru was the one being slowly consumed, “I don’t think that it is,” He said. Orochimaru screamed. He fought. He struggled as hard as he could. “You see,” Sasuke drawled, watching the man flail, “Your will is nowhere near as strong as mine,” _

 

_ Orochimaru retreated from sight,  _ and Sasuke regained consciousness. He looked around the room, and then turned and left through the empty doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke: Violence, The Unlikely Candidates
> 
> Orochimaru: You're Going Down, Sick Puppies (thanks cupcake)


	91. Naru, And Building On Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru finds out why she often has the feeling she's done certain things before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M ACTUALLY STARTING MY PLOT CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE IT I SURE CAN'T

Naru was laying on her back on her bed, scowling at the ceiling. There was an itch she couldn’t get at in one of her casts and all she could think about was every time she talked about wanting her own family. A massive family. To be the grandparent of dozens of kids who would run through her house while she laughed, her hokage’s hat slung over her shoulders and the robes slung across the back of a chair. A toddler clutched to her leg as she fussed over a child of hers and their weight, whether they were training hard enough. 

 

All she’d ever wanted was  _ belonging _ . And here was yet another thing preventing her from having that. Yet another permanent tally against her. It wasn’t enough that she was a Jinchuriki. It wasn’t enough that she was an orphan, no biological siblings, no friends until she was in her teens. No. This too had to be shouldered by her. 

 

She wished she could fix it.

 

She wished…

 

She gasped, and shut her eyes tightly. “Kurama!” she snarled through gritted teeth.

 

_ She was in the room, red couch behind her, broken boards in front. Kurama watching her. She kicked the table aside. _

 

_ “Kurama. Fix this,” _

 

_ “ _ **_FIX WHAT?_ ** _ ” The demon snarled. Naru swallowed. _

 

_ “Fix  _ me _.” _

 

_ Kurama’s wars drew back. “ _ **_THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BODY I GAVE YOU. IT’S A VAST IMPROVEMENT ON YOUR PREVIOUS FORMS. SO WHAT IF YOU CAN’T SPAWN MORE PATHETIC HUMAN BRATS? THAT’S AN IMPROVEMENT ON THE LAST ONES TOO! YOU SHOULD BE THANKING ME,”_ **

 

**_“_ ** _ Previous forms… what the fuck are you talking about?” _

 

_ “ _ **_YOU STILL HAVEN’T FIGURED IT OUT THEN KIT? YOU STILL DON’T KNOW?_ ** _ ” _

 

_ “Skip the lecture and tell me-” But Naru stopped. She backed up, crashing into the couch. In front of her was a tall, middle aged man with buzzed hair and deep scars along his cheeks. Naru looked over at Kurama in horror. The man wasn’t moving, but he was… so familiar. Blood was spilling down his chin. His eyes were glossy. He was dead. _

 

_ She’d dreamt of him before.  _

 

_ “What is this?” _

 

_ Kurama didn’t say anything. Naru charged forward, pointing at the man in front of her and snarling, tears in her eyes.  _

 

_ “Kurama! What the fuck is this?” _

 

_ “ _ **_IT’S YOU, KIT,”_ ** _ Kurama barked. She froze. Her arms fell limply to her sides. “ _ **_IT’S YOU,”_ **

 

_ “That’s not me! _ I’m _ me!” _

 

_ “ _ **_IT WAS YOU. YOU AND I… WE’VE PLAYED THIS THROUGH… SO MANY TIMES, NARUTO. YOU AND I HAVE SEEN THIS VERY MOMENT IN TIME OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER AGAIN-”_ **

 

**_“_ ** _ What… I don’t understand… You.. I…” _

 

_ “ _ **_FIFTY TWO. WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR FIFTY TWO LIVES. THIS WAS THE BODY YOU LAST HAD,”_ **

 

_ “So… you just… made a new me? How-  _ why! _ ” Naru grasped her head, falling backward against the couch, “Why would you…” _

 

_ “ _ **_BECAUSE YOU ASKED ME TO. YOU WERE DYING, AND YOU FAILED SO MANY OF YOUR GOALS. YOU WERE A BROKEN MAN. THERE ARE THINGS THAT EVEN MY CHAKRA WON’T FIX, KIT,”_ **

 

_ “So you what? Decided to rewind time to when I was born and play games with my body?” _

 

_ “ _ **_KIT, YOU ASKED FOR THIS! YOU HAVE ALWAYS ASKED FOR THIS! NEVER ONCE HAVE I RESTARTED WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION! ONE THOUSAND SEVENTY SIX YEARS I HAVE LIVED WITH YOU, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WATCHING YOU MAKE DIFFERENT CHOICES AND FAIL IN THE SAME WAYS THROUGH FORCES OUT OF OUR CONTROL. IT HAS BEEN TORTURE, KIT. EVERY TIME, SO DIFFERENT, EVERY TIME, SO ACHINGLY THE SAME. WATCHING THINGS AROUND YOU WARP AND TWIST AND VARY OVER TIME, THE CHOICES THAT YOU MAKE ALWAYS REVOLVING AROUND THE SAME PEOPLE-”_ **

 

_ “How many times have we started over?” _

 

_ “ _ **_FIFTY TWO!_ ** _ ” Kurama bellowed, slamming both his front paws into the ground and pacing back, further into his enclosure, away from Naru. The distance between them was considerable by the time he turned back to face her again. “ _ **_FIFTY TWO TIMES I HAVE REWOUND TO THE POINT WHEN I WAS FIRST SEALED IN YOU. FIFTY TWO TIMES HAVE I CHANGED YOUR FORM. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THEIR IMAGES? YOUR MANY FACES, KIT?”_ **

 

_ And there they were. Rows of them. A small crowd of blonde bodies, laid out. Some children- no more than ten or eleven, so small. Others older- adults, in their forties or fifties, women with long, beautiful blonde hair and men scarred and bloodied. Kurama looked up at her. _

 

_ “ _ **_EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM LIVED YOUR LIFE. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM ASKED ME TO BRING THEM BACK TO THE BEGINNING, HOPING THEY COULD DO IT_ ** **BETTER.** **_THAT A SECOND CHANCE WAS ALL THEY NEEDED. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?_ ** _ ” _

 

_ Naru narrowed her eyes, standing and striding forward. “What?” She spat. Kurama swept his claws through the illusions, making them dissipate like smoke. He stormed forward. His face came so close to where she stood she could have reached out and touched him. Reached out and be bitten.  _

 

**_“ALL THAT RESTARTING EVER MEANT WAS THAT I WOULD WATCH YOU MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES OVER AND OVER,”_ **

 

_ “Like what?” Naru snarled, taking a half step forward. She could feel his breath on her, hot, making her skin feel too tight- like it would crack if she budged an inch. Like flame.  _

 

**_“I HAVE WATCHED YOU COVET HIM, CHASE HIM, LOVE HIM, FIFTY TWO TIMES. FIFTY TWO TIMES I HAVE WATCHED YOU CHOOSE HIM, AND HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU THINK HE HAS CHOSEN YOU, KIT?”_ **

 

_ Naru didn’t have to ask. She knew, in her soul- her old soul, her ancient, aching soul, that it was Sasuke. That he was the one she’d always pick. She looked up into Kurama’s furious face, a muscle in her jaw twitching, and held her tongue. _

 

_ Because she knew that answer too. _

 

**_“NOT_ ** **ONCE** **_, KIT OF MINE. HE HAS NEVER ONCE, NOT IN ONE THOUSAND SEVENTY SIX YEARS OF OUR LIFE,_ ** **EVER** **_CHOSEN YOU OVER REVENGE. HE HAS ALWAYS PICKED VENGEANCE. HE HAS ALWAYS CHOSEN DARKNESS. HE HAS NEVER CHOSEN YOU,”_ **

 

_ Naru’s heart ached in her chest. Her eyes stung. She turned her back on him. With a sweeping gesture, the window was boarded up again. With her other hand, a thick metal barrier appeared over the wood. Then she turned, and with tears spilling down her face, she screamed at the top of her lungs. She screamed as loud as she could, with every breathless muscle of her body, with every pain in her soul, from the fifty two bodies she’d occupied, all of them so different, all of them… them. Themself. The bodies they occupied and the soul those bodies had held all screamed at Kurama, behind the barriers they had built, and when they collapsed, when their legs finally gave out beneath them, when they slumped to the ground, exhausted, forehead pressed against cool tile, they were empty.  _

 

_ There was nothing left.  _

 

When Naru awoke, she sat up. Her arms, in their thick casts, were useless. She couldn’t even eat, despite how drained she felt. Not that she felt like eating. She padded over to the door, and fumbled with the handle for a moment, scrabbling at it with her exposed fingers, before stomping her foot hard on the floor and swearing in frustration. When she finally got the door open and stepped out of it, she toppled down the stairs and hit the door with a heavy thud. She sighed, and used her foot to try to jimmy the door open. 

 

“Are you Naru?” Came a man’s voice to her right. She turned and frowned. 

 

“Who’s asking?” She snapped, narrowing her eyes.

 

“Do you know the Hokage personally?” The man asked, coming out of the shadows. He was tall, and broad, with a full beard and an unkempt appearance. He looked… kinda homeless.

 

She softened slightly, exhaustion and pain making it hard to focus. “Baa-chan?” She asked. The man straightened up and snapped his fingers. 

 

“It’s her,” He barked. A hand came around Naru’s face and held something soft to her mouth and nose. She kicked back, but the person buried a knife in her other leg and she had to bring it back up to stand. She held her breath and struggled, but her arms were bound, and she couldn’t do any jutsu like this. 

 

After a moment, she gasped, and whatever was on the rag made her eyelids heavy, and the world dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: WHEN I WAS OLDER, Billie Eilish
> 
> Kurama: Bullet With Butterfly Wings, The Smashing Pumpkins


	92. Sasuke, The Newest Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke gets my mans outta prison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY SPECIAL BOYYYYYY

Sasuke passed by the tube where Kabuto’s body was suspended, seals tattooed into is pale skin, electricity occasionally coursing through the liquid, causing his muscles to spasm.

 

Sasuke noticed some saline had poured from a tube. A specimen, suspended by tubes and wires and definitely dead, had kicked a hole in its glass. Sasuke paused and looked at it. It looked almost… like a child. He shook himself and kept walking, the saline on the floor causing his footsteps to sound magnified in the empty room.

 

He found the tank he was searching for and paused in front of it. He looked into the water. It seemed… empty. 

 

He reached out, and tapped the glass.

 

He formed, appearing in front of Sasuke with his purple eyes focused on him and his sharp teeth bared in a smile that would have been disconcerting if Sasuke could still feel disconcerted.

 

“Sasuke-kun! Look at you, it’s been a long time, why’d he send you? Too busy but needed someone to feed me? Or is it about ol’ bloated-and-brain-dead over there?” 

 

“No one sent me,” Sasuke said, “Orochimaru is dead,”

 

The sentence made Suigestu grin even wider, delighted and wild looking. He stooped down, lowering himself to Sasuke’s level and pressing his hands against the glass. “Then to what to I owe this little visit?” Suigetsu said, his voice almost too low to hear through the glass. Sasuke’s lip twitched. He drew his sword, and swung it hard against the side of the tank. 

 

Suigetsu disappeared as the liquid sloshed out of the tank, onto the floor, splattering over his feet. Sasuke turned around. 

 

Suigetsu rose from the water on the ground, grinning and rolling his shoulders, stretching and smiling at Sasuke as he did it. 

 

“I have an offer for you,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke: Numb/Encore, JAY Z, Linkin Park
> 
> Suigetsu: Thank God I'm Not You, Himalayas


	93. Naru, The Left Hand Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There's a lil bit of torture at the end of this chap. You know.... just a lil bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmm next chapter with Naru in it might just be gut wrenching. if I pull this off, that is. Anyway, sorry that i've not posted in a couple days, I got lost along the path of life or whatever.

Naru groaned. She felt nauseous. Her arms ached, she was hanging from them, and when she tried to support herself, she found she could only stand on her tip toes. She was chained tightly to something hard and uncomfortable against her back, and her head was aching. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting at the dim room she was in. There was a chair directly in front of her, and a mirror behind that. She moved her head experimentally. There was a young boy, likely not older than fourteen, looking tired with his hand planted against the wall she was chained to. He was staring at her blankly.

 

“Hey, come here often?” She asked. Her voice was scratchy and unpleasant. He made no indication that he heard her. She sighed and looked back at the mirror in front of her. 

 

Her casts looked stark white against the tan of her skin and the black tshirt iruka had brought her at the hospital. She frowned. She looked terrible- well, more terrible than usual. She was ashen-faced and tired looking. One cheek had a healing bruise likely from where she hit the ground after getting knocked out. Naru stared at her reflection, then took a deep breath. 

 

“Cool stuff, guys. Whatever you’re trying to get out of this weird, uh…” She flexed, pressing hard against the restraints and then slumping back against the wall, “situation… it’s not gonna work,”

 

There was a moment’s pause, and then a door next to the mirror opened. The man from before stepped through it, but, he didn’t look like a vagrant now. He was wearing white head to toe and his hair and beard were carefully groomed into submission. He still wore no headband.  _ Even missing nin wear headbands. Who is he? _

 

Naru shot him a crooked grin and let out a laugh. “Oh! Looks like the party has arrived! So, tell me, what is it? You saw my arms were done for and figured ‘Hey… you know what? This is a great time to grab a teenager’ or what? Wanna explain?”

 

The man just stayed silent. 

 

Naru took a deep breath. “Okay, so… here’s what I’m thinking at this moment, bud,” She leaned her head against the wall. “You asked me a question before you decided to play at being a kidnapper. If I knew Baa-chan. So… You’re either looking for info, or thinking that I’m valuable to her,”

 

The man blinked. There was no other reaction, but she heard the boy shift uncomfortably in the corner of the room. She smiled. 

 

“Well, I’ve got bad news on both counts,”

 

She waited. She wanted to get a response from him, for him to give her some crumb to go on. Maybe he had an accent that she hadn’t noticed before, maybe he spoke with a gesture. Something… any clue as to who she was dealing with. After a minute, he nodded. 

 

“What’s that?” He asked. No accent, no change in expression, no gesture.  _ He’s been trained in this. _

 

“I’m not valuable to anyone at all and I’m not talking,”

 

“That’s what you think,” he said, turning and walking out of the room.

 

After an hour, her calves began to cramp from holding herself up on her toes. The drugs wore off, and the grogginess and fuzziness, along with any pain relief they had provided, left her. 

 

After three hours, her legs were agony, and the dull ache in her arms seemed to intensify. She could almost hear Jiraiya saying ‘want me to take your mind off that?’. She turned to the boy in the corner of the room, his hand still planted firmly against the wall.

 

“You look like you like a good movie. You like movies, kid?”

 

The boy just stared at her, mouth closed. She sighed.

 

“Really not much of a talker, huh? Did they cut your tongue out or something? Are you here against your will?”

 

The boy looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t. He just stuck his tongue out at her and then went back to staring blankly. 

 

“Guess that’s a no on both counts, huh?” She laughed, looking back at the mirror and tilting her head. 

 

After six hours She was almost falling asleep. Her legs were numb. Her shoulders ached. She was thirsty, and her stomach was rumbling. She laughed as it did, shaking her head. 

 

The door cracked open and her head shot up. It wasn’t the bearded man, it was a boy, completely identical to the one sitting in the corner with his hand on the wall. He strolled by her and to the boy, tapping his shoulder with one hand, and planting his other against the wall. The boy started, and took his hand away, standing up and stretching. Naru narrowed her eyes.

 

“Twins or clones?” She asked. They both looked over at her. The new boy snarled.

 

“None of your fucking business,” He spat. The other boy looked at him, eyes wide. 

 

“Twins then,” Naru laughed, letting the back of her head thud against the wall as she shifted her feet, wincing at how her calves felt. “Hey,” She snapped at the mirror, “if there’s gonna be torture then you should snap to it. This is boring,”

 

“Why don’t you keep your mouth shut?” The new boy snapped. The other, the first, silently patted his shoulder and left the room. The new boy opted not to sit. Naru turned to him with a grin.

 

“Is the torture having to put up with you? is that why they switched you out? What are you even doing? Taking turns feeling the wall up?”

 

The boy’s lip curled, and he glanced at the mirror. Naru’s eyebrow twitched up and she looked over at it again. 

 

“Ohhh, boss man doesn’t want you to interact with me. Is this a new method of yours, bud? boredom torture? Isolation to warm up my vocal chords? Or you don’t want me to have any info after the hostage exchange? What’s your game here? C’mon, I’m too dumb to really figure it out, gimme a hint, just for funsies,”

 

There was a moment of silence, then the door opened. Someone in scrubs and a medical mask came in pushing a cart. Naru grinned.

 

“Ooooh, toys! Information it is. C’mon! Let’s get this torture chamber poppin’!”

 

The Scrub parked the cart next to her. A voice came through what looked like a speaker buried in the ceiling in front of the mirror. 

 

“What is your involvement with the Hokage?”

 

“I ‘hey mister’d her,” Naru called. The Scrub picked up a scalpel from the cart and paused, looking at her for a moment. She stared back at them. “Go ahead. Do it. I’m not scared of you,”

 

They stepped forward and grasped her left hand in the cast, and sliced her pointer finger down to the bone, dragging the scalpel along, over her joints, down to where her knuckles protruded from her cast. Naru hissed and clenched her other hand, slamming her head back into the wall as the person moved on to her middle finger. 

 

Then her ring finger.

 

Then her pinky.

 

“What is your relationship with the Hokage?”

 

“Fuck you,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Little Pistol, Mother Mother


	94. Sasuke, Ask Me No Fucking Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mmm sasuke helps his new bud find a sword

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmmMMMMM i like swords and kiri nin

_ Sasuke frowned, stopping at the edge of the puddle. “What are you doing?” _

 

_ Suigetsu grinned at him from the surface of the water and stood up, completely naked and still far too proud of himself. “Just enjoying being out of that damn tank. Why? You in a rush or something?” _

 

_ “Well… Yes,” Sasuke said, skirting around the puddle and taking a deep, calming breath. “And put on some clothes,” _

 

_ Suigetsu made a huffing noise and turned to look after him. “What if I had other stuff to do, like, besides your dashing and adventurous plans for revenge?”  _

 

_ “Like what?” _

 

_ “Like going and getting one of the seven swords,” Suigetsu snapped. Sasuke looked back over his shoulder at Suigetsu.  _

 

_ “If I help you find a sword, will you come with me?” _

 

_ Suigetsu’s face split into a grin. _

 

And that was how they had arrived here. In the land of waves. Sasuke was glaring up at the engraving over their heads. Suigetsu frowned up at it.

 

“What are you looking at?” He asked, following Sasuke’s gaze up to the letters overhead. “What’s that?”

 

“Nothing,” Sasuke said, still scowling at it. 

 

Suigetsu looked back up at the sign and squinted. “Naru… to… bridge? The Naruto Bridge? What, they just really like Narutomaki here or something?”

 

Sasuke frowned and walked past it, striding along the bridge without looking back at Suigetsu. Suigetsu called out, rushing to catch up with him.

 

“Hey! You got something against Narutomaki? Not a fish guy?” He teased, leaning forward to peer into his face. Sasuke just stared ahead of him. 

 

“It’s none of your business,” He said calmly. “Now, we’re nearly there,” 

 

He lead Suigetsu to the place where he and Naruto had dug the graves all those years ago. To the headbands hanging from the crosses and the weathered sword that Kakashi had buried in the dirt.

 

He looked at Suigetsu out of the corner of his eye. Suigetsu frowned at the sword. He looked at Sasuke. 

 

“How did you know this was here?” Suigetsu asked, his tone hard to read. Sasuke hesitated before venturing an answer.

 

“My old team fought them. Zabuza and Haku,”

 

“Your team fought Zabuza-senpai?” Suigetsu asked, surprise written all over his face. Sasuke pursed his lips.

 

“Are you going to take the damn sword or was this all a waste of time?” He snapped, turning away, “And they aren’t ‘ _ my team _ ’ anymore,”

 

Sasuke hesitated, waiting for some kind of prying response. It didn’t come. Instead there was just a grunt and a swishing noise. Sasuke turned, and saw Suigetsu happily swinging the sword around like a child playing with a new toy. After a few moments, He turned around, positively beaming. He leaned on the sword and took Sasuke in with sparkling eyes. 

  
“So, where are we headed now?” he asked. Sasuke just tutted and turned back toward…  _ the _ bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke: Please Notice, Christian Leave
> 
> Sui: Watch Me, The Phantoms


	95. Naru, Who The Fuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the first block of non-italicised text is straight up torture. Skip it if you need to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmm i’m gonna break my 1:1 format soon I think, toss me a comment if you’d rather it stay 1 naru chap : 1 other perspective or if you like the idea of having back to back non naru chaps now okay byeeee

“Mm do you think that animals talk to each other?” Naru asked, turning to look at the scrub as he sawed through her cast in order to free more real estate. “I think they do. Ever seen birds on branches together? there no way they flock together like that if they don’t talk,” He had tattered her hands, they looked something like mince meat when she craned her neck to look at them. She took a deep breath. 

 

“If you would just talk, this could be over,” The boy in the corner said. Naru turned to him and smiled, noticing the sweat dripping off her hair as she moved. 

 

“I’ve been talking bud!” She laughed as the scrub turned to a squeeze bottle and picked it up, attaching a nozzle to it slowly. Naru leaned her head back to the wall and met her own eyes in the mirror. She ran her tongue over her lips, shocked by how dry her mouth felt. “I’m just not ever going to tell you what you wanna hear, so hurry up and kill me. No one is coming. Just have done with it. I’m ready and waiting,”

 

“What is your relationship with the hokage?” the voice asked. Naru smiled.

 

“You get off on this?” Naru asked, tilting her head. “You really like watching me bleed? You like tying teenagers with broken bones up and meat tenderising em?”

 

The scrub sighed and shook their head, angling the nozzle toward her hand. She looked at it as they squeezed, spraying whatever the liquid was directly into the interlacing, bone deep gashed across her hands. 

 

She couldn’t help herself. She screamed as it burned her. She thrashed against her restraints. She swore and kicked out and bit her lip until she tasted blood. 

 

It was  _ acid _ . She closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain as every nerve in her hand seemed to melt. Maybe they were melting. She couldn’t bring herself to look. 

 

“What is your relationship to the Hokage?” The voice asked again. Naru let out a dry sob.

 

“Fuck you!” Naru cried, kicking out, her throat feeling raw as she glared at the mirror with all the hate in her body. The Scrub moved to her other hand. They angled the nozzle.

 

They squeezed the bottle.

 

Naru closed her eyes. She had to block out the pain. Her head was spinning and she would have vomited had there been anything in her stomach. 

 

_ She was sitting on a red couch. Her hands were fine. Her arms were fine. She felt warm and safe.  _

 

_ She looked at the unforgiving steel wall. He couldn’t heal her like that. But… maybe that was a good thing. Maybe they’d kill her and the time loop would end. He’d likely die with her. They’d both be free. _

 

_ She bit her lip. Should she let herself die? before she had found out about the time loop she never would have considered it. It never would have been a possibility. But now… _

 

_ She sighed. She thought about Sakura… About Neji… Shikamaru… _

 

_ Sasuke… _

 

_ She thought about Sasuke, still being manipulated by Orochimaru. Still driven by hatred and revenge, in his inescapable prison of guilt and his resolution to kill his brother.  _

 

_ Naru sighed. She couldn’t die, but she didn’t want to scrap her reality either. She loved all of her friends. The idea of them mourning her the way they had mourned so many already… it broke her heart. _

 

_ She looked up at the steel wall again and sighed. She held out her hand and it melted. Then she stood, walking through the puddle of metal, like mercury on the floor, and began to pry away the boards keeping Kurama back. She could hear him shifting as the wood creaked and have way under her calloused hands. _

 

_ eventually, the gap was large enough for him to level his eye against and peer out into her room. She frowned at him. _

 

_ “I’m sorry, Pops. I was upset. Not only at you, but… that’s another matter. I shouldn’t have boarded you up,” _

 

_ Kurama blinked, but said nothing. Naru sighed. _

 

_ “What, you’re not speaking to me? It was one day. I was upset. I’m sorry, Kurama,” _

 

_ “ _ **_I AM NOT BOTHERED BY YOUR ACTIONS, KIT. YOU HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE,”_ **

 

_ Naru sighed. “Of course I have. In a thousand years I’d be surprised if I hadn’t done… anything, honestly,” _

 

_ “ _ **_ANYTHING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF GIVING UP ON THE UCHIHA BRAT,”_ **

 

_ “Okay, cool, reopen that wound straight away, that’s cool, that’s fun,” _

 

_ “ _ **_KIT, YOU HAVE DONE ALMOST EVERYTHING I'VE KNOWN A HUMAN TO DO,”_ **

 

_ “... Wow… that’s… expected, honestly,” _

 

**_“YOU’VE AT SOME POINT MARRIED ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS,”_ **

 

_ “Okay, once again, believable, but… weird of you to bring up,” _

 

_ “ _ **_DO YOU REMEMBER ANY OF YOUR PAST LIVES?”_ **

 

_ Naru paused, thinking hard. She shook her head. “I dream about that guy version of me dying sometimes, but I don’t really… you know… remember him… me? Am… am I actually a guy, then?” _

 

**_“DO YOU FEEL LIKE A MAN?”_ **

 

_ Naru hummed, looking up at the ceiling. “Sometimes? Not really, though. I mean… I don’t really feel like anything most of the time. Sometimes I feel like I like being a kunoichi. Somethings I feel like Shinobi would be a better way to phrase it. Mostly I just know I’m a ninja,” _

 

**_“WELL THAT IS ONE THING THAT YOU ALWAYS ARE,”_ ** _ Kurama said, his head disappearing for a moment and then his other eye coming into view, staring straight through her, it seemed. “ _ **_A FIGHTER,_ ** _ ” _

 

_ Naru let herself smile, and nodded, looking down at her feet. He growled again. _

 

**_“THEY ARE DAMAGING THE BODY,”_ ** _ He snarled, drawing back. Naru looked back up at him.  _

 

_ “I know. We’re being tortured pretty badly.” _

 

_ “ _ **_NOTHING I CANNOT MEND, BUT YOU SHOULD LET ME FREE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM,_ ** _ ” _

 

_ “That’s not happening,” She said calmly, “I want to figure out who these people are before I kill them. They pose a threat to Konoha,” _

 

_ “ _ **_HUMAN PATRIOTISM…”_ ** _ Kurama snarled. Naru smiled.  _

 

_ “That’s me,” She laughed, “A human patriot,”  _

 

**_“THEN GO AND DISCOVER WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. I WILL HEAL THE BODY,”_ **

 

_ “Thanks, Pops,” Naru said, closing her eyes. _

 

She woke up just in time to see a bucket of slimy feeling water tip over her head, dousing her. It was Icy, and relieving on her burned hands. She scowled at the way it felt against her skin.  _ Well water. _

 

She looked up at the mirror. They’d cut her shirt off, and began to work in neat, even lines across her torso and arms, deep gashes leaking blood that mixed with the water that they had poured over her. She smiled. 

 

“Now you’re awake,” The voice over the intercom said, “Let’s move on to the next question,”

 

Naru grinned as she felt chakra flowing down into her arms again. “Okay, shoot,” She laughed. She felt it happen. She felt her cuts along her sides begin to heal.

 

“What are some of the Fifth Hokage’s abilities?” The voice asked calmly. Naru smiled again. They couldn’t see that she was healing up because of the blood.

 

“Sorry, what was the question?”

 

“... What are the Hokage’s abilities?”

 

Naru tilted her head inquisitively as she began to regain feeling in her palms. It stung, but she could tell Kurama was rewiring her nerves. “Huh?”

 

The intercom clicked off, then back on again as the Scrub and the boy in the corner both glanced at the mirror and then back at Naru. The scrub was hovering over their next torture device, looking a little nervous. 

 

“What can the Hokage do?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Naru said, holding back a laugh, “If you want me to understand you, you have to take that dick out of your mouth,”

 

The scrub froze. Naru moved her fingers. They were almost completely healed now. she had to stay in place until she found out more, but maybe she could push the advantage of the silence.  _ Maybe I pushed a nerve. _

 

“What’s your game, anyway, hiding back there?” She teased, shaking the hair out of her eyes. “Too much of a coward to torture me yourself? Am I too scary for you? Don’t wanna get blood on your hands? You make me sick. Have some decency as a human being and get your hands dirty, why don’t you?”

 

“What do you plan on getting out of this outburst?” The voice snapped over the intercom. Naru sneered ya the mirror. There was a definite edge to that voice. 

 

“Get? I don’t get anything out of any of this, do I? You’re just going to keep melting my body parts and poking holes in me until you give up and then you’ll kill me and toss me on the trash heap. But you? What’ll you get out of this? The guilt of my death and pain and the shame of not even having the nerve to do it yourself. Sad. Pathetic. You’re a shrivelled little weakling and I’d laugh if I weren’t so disgusted by you,” She said. She shook her head again. Any moment now, someone had to notice her hands were almost healed completely. Any moment…

 

But the scrub pushed the cart back and moved out of the way, and the door opened again. Naru tried to keep her face straight as a woman, dressed head to toe in white, came through the door, looking furious. She stormed up to Naru and drew her fist back, punching Naru straight across the face. Naru’s head smacked against the wall, and her vision going white and her ears ringing. 

 

She blinked and shook her head, just in time to see the woman winding up for another punch. Naru looked over her quickly. Her stance was garbage, her fist sloppy

and hastily made, her face was  _ angry,  _ and she wasn’t putting any body into her swing. The second punch connected.  _ Still has an arm though, damn. She might have made one hell of a kunoichi, busy she sure as hell isn't a trained fighter. Who the hell are these people if they aren’t nin? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Wouldnt that Make You Feel Good, Bryde 
> 
> Kurama: Hellbent (Feat Snowblood), Mystery Skulls


	96. Sasuke, The Warden Of The Southern Hideout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke arrives at the hideout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm breakign Pattern next chap

“Where are we going?” Suigetsu whined. He was lagging behind and shaking his empty cup as though trying to force his straw to find more water. Sasuke sighed.

 

“That sword is too heavy for you if you’re already tired. It’s only been one day,”

 

Suigetsu huffed, looking appalled at the suggestion. “I’m not tired! Just bored! You won’t even tell me where we’re going!”

 

Sasuke just kept walking, his eyes fixed ahead of him as they drew closer to the southern hideout. They were nearly there. 

 

A few minutes before it came into sight, Suigetsu stopped. He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. 

 

“I know what we’re doing,”

 

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at him, drawing to a halt as well. “Hn?”

 

Suigetsu crossed his arms. “You don’t need her,”

 

“Suigetsu, don’t whine,” Sasuke snapped. He moved forward, to the entrance to the hideout, and opened the gate. He strolled past the cells, with their prisoners, seated and quiet. He heard them being to murmur once he had passed, a sound not unlike rustling fabric following him and Suigetsu as they navigated the twisting hallways his late master had left behind. He smirked. His legacy, he supposed, yet another useless remnant of Orochimaru’s pathetic quest for immortality. The irony of his death, and his having been survived by these prisoners- the lives he had so eagerly tried to exchange for his own, struck Sasuke. 

 

He turned the corner, and there she stood, arms crossed, face serious. “What are you doing here?” She snapped. He took her in, her layered red hair, her glasses, her crisp uniform shirt, her inexplicable choice of skin tight shorts and thigh highs. She tilted her head, her brow furrowed, her expression of stern displeasure startlingly professional, almost like a teacher who had caught him sneaking out of class-

 

Or how he had imagined that would look. The sneaking out was the expertise of… someone else. 

 

“I wanted to speak to you,”

 

“Why is he with you then?” She snapped, shooting a dirty look at Suigetsu over Sasuke’s shoulder. Sasuke couldn’t help the way his lip twitched at her words. Suigetsu, however, bristled. 

 

“I’m right here, you know!” 

 

Sasuke ignored her. “I wanted to speak with you  _ privately… _ ” He hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would be enough. He decided he might as well do the thing properly. “Please,” 

 

She blinked, and then nodded. “Very well. There is something I would like to discuss with you as well. Follow me,” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and then began to walk briskly along the hallway, taking sharp turns and not waiting to see if they were following. After a few minutes, they had reached a room, far from any cells. She lead them into it and closed the door with a sharp click. 

 

“I-”

 

“Are the rumours true?” She snapped before he could begin. Sasuke crossed his arms and looked at her again. 

 

“Depends on what rumours you’re referencing,” He said cooly. She narrowed her eyes. Sasuke sighed and strolled across the room, taking a seat on her couch and cocking an eyebrow at her. 

 

“Is it true that Orochimaru-sama is dead?” She asked sharply. He smiled.

 

“Yes, he is dead,”

 

She pursed her lips. “Is it true you’re the one that killed him?”

 

“Yes,” He said plainly. Suigetsu smiled in the corner, his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on Sasuke’s face. Karin sucked in a breath. He threw his arms up along the back of the couch and tilted his head. “And am here because I’d like to ask a favour of you,”

 

“A favour of me?” Karin asked. Suigetsu’s smile faded. Sasuke nodded solemnly.

 

“Yes. I’d like you to accompany me on a mission. You can of course say no. But you’re free now. Orochimaru is dead. You are under no obligation to stay,”

 

Karin pursed her lips. “I don’t know,” She said, “I need to stay here, keep an eye on these prisoners,”

 

“They aren’t prisoners anymore. Orochimaru is dead,” Sasuke pointed out. Karin crossed her arms and turned away from him. She shot another look at Suigetsu. 

 

“I don’t want to discuss anything further with  _ him  _ in the room,” She spat. Suigetsu stuck his tongue out at her. Sasuke sighed. 

 

“Suigetsu, would you give us a moment?”

 

“What?” Suigetsu barked, turning to Sasuke in surprise. Sasuke took a deep breath and returned his gaze. Suigetsu pulled a face and turned, leaving the room, grumbling. Karin slammed the door behind him and locked it, pressing her back against it and looking down at her feet. Her entire air changed. She drew her feet closer together, and she pushed off the door, standing up and walking toward Sasuke slowly. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and dropped into the seat next to Sasuke, reaching up and taking her glasses off, folding them neatly and holding them in her lap before peering up at him from under her lashes. 

 

“So… you… you’d like me to come with you on your… on your mission?” She asked, her voice suddenly soft, and a soft blush on her cheeks. Sasuke looked at her. 

 

“Yes. Your tracking skills are impressive, and you’re a strong Kunoichi. You’d be an asset to me,” He said, measuring his words. He did want her to come, but he by no means wanted to be misleading. She was even less subtle than Sakura and Ino had been in their youth. 

 

Karin looked back down at her knees and her blush deepened. “Oh! Well… I…”

 

There was a loud bang on the door. They both looked up at it. “Did you lock me out?” Suigetsu shouted angrily. Karin scowled at the door, her brow furrowed. Sasuke sighed, standing up. 

 

“Well, if you don’t want to come, it’s a shame. I’ll allow you to get back to your duties, Karin,” He said calmly, striding across the room and moving to unlock the door. Karin leapt to her feet and cleared her throat. Sasuke looked over his shoulder at her. 

 

“Well… I suppose if you…” She cleared her throat again and put her glasses back on, shaking her hair out of her eyes and looking up at him, “I suppose if you need my help… though… My duties here…” She frowned, seemingly torn. Sasuke nodded. 

 

“I understand,” He said, unlocking the door and catching Suigetsu’s wrist as he swung his sword down at where the door had been, “Thank you for your time,” 

 

He left Karin in the room, leading Suigetsu back out to where the cells sat. as soon as he reached the nearest one, he struck the lock with the butt of his katana, shattering it. “You’re free. Orochimaru is dead,” He said calmly, kicking the cell door open before continuing on to the next. 

 

Suigetsu grinned and rushed ahead of him, eagerly smashing the locks of the cells and sliding the doors wide, letting the prisoners rush by him, scarred and eager to leave the hideout behind them. Sasuke just strode along calmly. Eventually, when all the cells were empty, he waited. 

 

After ten minutes, Karin came rushing out, looking beside herself. He sheathed his sword and cleared his throat. 

 

Karin stopped, then crossed her arms. “Well. There’s no point in staying here now that the two of you have gone and… hmph,” She turned her head, red rising in her cheeks. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

 

“Then perhaps you’ll reconsider traveling with us,”

 

Karin eyed him carefully, then glanced at Suigetsu. “Which way are you traveling?”

 

“North,” Sasuke said. Suigetsu’s eyes snapped to him.

 

“Well… I’m headed that way anyway,” Karin snapped, “We may as well travel together at least part of the way,” 

 

“I’m glad of it,” Sasuke said, turning and striding away from the hideout that Karin was no longer the warden of. Suigetsu fell into step behind him quickly, but Karin scrambled to his side, rushing in order to match his stride. 

 

_ One more. _ He thought,  _ One more and then I come for you, Itachi. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke: King (feat. Luke Prebble, Micheal Sparks), The LaFontaines
> 
> Sui: Skint Kids Disco, No Hot Ashes
> 
> Karin: Boyz, MIA


	97. Shikamaru, Finding Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mmm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Shikamaru was daydreaming about cloud watching as Sakura talked about her day, waving her hand lazily through the air as she spoke, her heart obviously not in the conversation either as he leaned his chair back. It was odd that Tsunade kept their lunch breaks at the same time, but he wasn’t complaining.

 

He was tired, though. The ache of loss was everpresent in his chest these days. He had finally visited Asuma’s grave, and it had made everything… startlingly real. He had expected revenge to solve this. He had expected… closure. But there was no true closure in death. It was a loose end never tied. Life was a tangled mess full of frayed ends. He watched Sakura roll her eyes and scowl, shaking her head about some patient or maybe a family member. She was cut short, however, by Sai’s sudden appearance at her elbow.

 

“Sakura there’s a problem,” He said, not even acknowledging Shikamaru.

 

Sakura looked up at him, surprised. “Oh?” She asked, her hands falling to the table. Sai pursed his lips.

 

“Yes. There’s a big problem. I have been very busy for a whole twenty four hours and have not had time for my normal observations-“

 

“Stalking,” Sakura corrected. Sai ignored her.

 

“And when I had time to check on her today, I couldn’t find her-“

 

“Sai, is there a point to this?”

 

“Naruto is missing!” Sai said, making the first expression Shikamaru had ever seen him wear. He looked… extremely distressed. Shikamaru paused.

 

“She’s supposed to be healing at home,” Sakura said, annoyed.

 

“She’s not in her apartment,” Sai said.

 

“Well… did you check Ichiraku-“

 

“I have checked  _ everywhere _ , Sakura. I wouldn’t have come if I were not  _ convinced _ there were a problem,”

 

Sakura pursed her lips in disbelief. Shikamaru looked over Sai again. He was strange. Emotionless. Ex-anbu, they said.  _ If an ex anbu can’t find her… _

 

He was jolted out of his train of thought by his own chair legs snapping against the linoleum. The others looked at him. He stood.

 

“Have you spoken to anyone? Checked the logs?”

 

“I checked the logs. She hasn’t signed out of the village,” 

 

Shikamaru frowned. “You’re sure that she’s not anywhere stupid like training even though her arms are broken?”

 

“I even checked the woods in all the places she likes to fight trees,” Sai said calmly, “She’s not in Konoha,”

 

Shikamaru bit his lip. His chest ached. He felt as though he couldn’t draw breath. If the akatsuki had infiltrated the village unnoticed… they had done it before. They knew who and what she was.

 

He looked up at the other two. “Let’s take this to the fifth,”

 

The others agreed, and they immediately went to her office. When Sakura pushed her door open, she was seated behind her desk, calmly shuffling through some paperwork with Shizune at her side, her voice and manners soothing as she scratched behind Tonton’s ears. 

 

“Lady Tsunade,” Sakura said nervously, letting the boys in behind her and swallowing thickly before she continued. “There’s an issue we need to bring to your attention,”

 

“If it’s your idiot friend missing her appointment then I’m sorry to say you’re late. It was an hour ago. Waste of my damn time…” She shook her head, then looked back up at Sakura, brow furrowed, “Where is the little brat, anyway? Does she think she can just go and recover from that damn jutsu all by herself?”

 

“She’s missing!” Sai blurted, his hands curling into loose, almost-fists. Shikamaru’s heart thudded in his chest. The words sounded worse like that- spat out quickly as a fact.

 

Tsunade paused. Her eyes widened incrementally. She looked up at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. What do you mean that she’s missing?”

 

“Lady Fifth, she hasn’t been seen by anyone since yesterday morning and she isn’t in her apartment- or anywhere in the village. She isn’t in Konoha, and she has not signed out,”

 

Tsunade blinked. Sakura twisted her hands together. Shizune was looking from person to person, seemingly frantic. 

 

“She’s not in her apartment?”

 

“No, ma’am,”

 

She bit her lip. Shikamaru stepped forward. “We need to dispatch a search party,”

 

“A search party? She’ll turn up, it’s not the first time we’ve had trouble finding her-“

 

“This is different!” Shikamaru snapped, “And she wouldn’t do that again! She only did it because… She just wouldn’t disappear like that now,”

 

“I understand that you’re concerned but I can’t just dispatch a team of sensors! I’m worried too!” Tsunade barked. 

 

“Dispatch a team-  _ two _ teams- of Anbu trackers and find her immediately. There’s no evidence as to how long she has been gone. anything could have happened to her-“ 

 

“We know for a fact that the Akatsuki are hunting Jinchuriki! We need to take immediate action!” 

 

“We can’t spare that man power at the moment!” Tsunade said. Shikamaru crossed his arms. 

 

“I volunteer my vacation time to go on a mission to find her,” He said. Tsunade looked at him. Sakura stepped forward, brow furrowed.

 

“Me too,” 

 

Sai bit his lip. Shikamaru glanced at him. Tsunade pursed her lips. 

 

“You’ll need an assigned Jonin and one more chunin. A tracker. Get that team together before last departure at three and you can go find her picking her nose in the woods or whatever,” She said. Sakura smiled. Sai nodded. Shikamaru inclined his head. 

 

“Thank you,” He said, turning and ducking out of the room. Sakura and Sai scrambled after her. 

 

“Tracker. Team eight is around, right?”

 

“Yes,” Sai said, “They have no current missions,” 

 

“Good, Sai, can you go and see if one of them will join us? I… I know what Jonin I’m going to ask,” 

 

Sai nodded and leapt away the moment they hit the street.

 

“Who’s your Jonin?” Sakura asked Shikamaru, falling into step beside him. 

 

Shikamaru pursed his lips. “Oh… you’ll see in a minute and a half, when we reach the training grounds. He’s always there this time of day,” He said evasively. He really couldn’t take the teasing. 

 

When they reached the edge of the training grounds and Sakura made a derisive noise in the back of her throat. 

 

Neji Hyuga was posturing carefully, he had taken off his shrug and unbuttoned his collar, his belt gone and his shirt clinging to his frame. Even from where they stood, Shikamaru could see the sweat glistening on his neck and arms, a strand of hair plastered to his face as he drew back to a resting position and glanced up. Something low in Shikamaru’s stomach hitched as Neji walked forward, reaching up and pushing his hair back out of his face. His brow was furrowed, and his mouth was drawn into a thin line. He deactivated his byakugan once he was fairly close, but was still breathing hard when he spoke.

 

“Sakura-san, Nara. What are you doing here? Does the Hokage need to speak to me?” He asked, one hand coming to rest on his hip, his shirt folding and sticking to his skin as he moved. Shikamaru swallowed and looked around. 

 

“Ah, actually, I… We!  _ We _ need your help with something. Naru… Naru is missing, and we’re forming a search party-“

 

“Naru is missing? Didn’t she only recently return from that mission she followed you out on? The one where she got injured?”

 

Shikamaru scowled up at Neji, but nodded. “Well… yes,” 

 

“She’s supposed to be resting! Healing! I was going to go visit her later- What do you mean-” He took a deep breath again, and levelled his gaze at Shikamaru again. “What do you need from me?”

 

“We need you to come on the rescue mission,” 

 

“Of course I’ll come on the mission,” Neji snapped, sounding insulted that it had even been considered a possibility that he wouldn’t come. Shikamaru nodded.

 

“Sai is trying to get a member of team eight to join us,”

 

“Hinata would be a great asset,” Neji said, “He’s a fantastic Shinobi,”

 

“Yes, or Shino,” Sakura added, turning and leading them back toward the Hokage’s dome. Shikamaru chewed the inside of his cheek as Neji loosed his hair and tied it again, then pulled his shrug on, finally hiding his toned, glistening muscles from view. 

 

As they drew toward the dome, Sai came into sight, closely followed by… Akamaru, with Kiba seated on his back. 

 

Kiba shot Shikamaru a wry smile that he returned straight away. “So… we’re off to find Naru, huh?”

 

“I’ll go and notify the Hokage that you’re leaving,” Sai said, rushing into the building.

 

> “Yes,” Shikamaru said, burying his hands in his pockets, “Yes we are,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shika: Under The Storm, The LaFontaines
> 
> Sakura: Trouble, Valerie Broussard
> 
> Sai: Bellyaches, No Hot Ashes
> 
> Neji: Achilles Come Down, Gang Of Youths
> 
> Kiba: Goose, No Hot Ashes


	98. Sasuke, The Night Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke takes a break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to die im so egg sauce ted.

A muscle in Sasuke’s jaw was twitching. Karin and Suigetsu were snapping at one another, Suigetsu egging her on, pushing her short temper until she would hit him, spraying them all with water. 

 

“We should break here,” He snapped, drawing to a halt, “We will need energy when we get there,”

 

“To the northern hideout,” Karin said, not truly a question, because she knew. Sasuke nodded and moved into the shadow of a rocky outcropping. He sat there, then looked up at the sky. Suigetsu frowned, lifting his straw to his mouth and resting it there.

 

“Why are we going to that hell hole?”

 

“For the same reason I went to your hell hole, and Karin’s hell hole. I would like to ask someone who is there to join this team,”

 

Suigetsu made to snap back, but Karin moved over and sat beside Sasuke. “Is it who I think it is?”

 

“That depends entirely on who you think it is,” Sasuke said, leaning back and closing his eyes. Suigetsu stomped over and joined them, leaning heavily into Sasuke’s side and slurping his drink loudly. 

 

Sasuke began to drift off to sleep, but the image of her face kept flashing into his mind. He kept lurching back awake, looking at Karin and Suigetsu, both sleeping with their heads on his shoulders. Eventually, he gave up, and simply watched the night sky. Where was she now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke: It Hurts Until It Doesn't, Mothers


	99. Naru, Facing The Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru gets to the middle of sometthing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MMMMM

Naru laughed a little, shifting and catching her breath. Her legs ached, and her toes, shuffling along the ground for purchase, felt sore and bruised. She grinned as the woman punched her again, finally cracking her bruised rib cage. She coughed up some blood.

 

“Woo!” She laughed, spitting out more blood on the woman’s stark white shirt, “you did it, we should throw a party. Hey, I got-” She pulled herself up, her shackles digging hard into her wrists as her feet lifted off the ground. She curled her toes and flexed her ankles, wincing at how sore they were. “-a question. I’m not making it out of here alive, am I?”

 

The woman pulled back, catching her breath. She met Naru’s eyes. There was a flash of mercy in them, but it was fleeting. “No. You aren’t,”

 

Naru smiled ruefully. “Can you… please… at least tell me why you’re doing this? Why you’re killing me? As a… dying wish, I guess,” 

 

The woman paused, then nodded. “I suppose I can tell you that. You may as well know,”

 

The boy in the corner made a derisive snort, but he was ignored. The woman was quiet. She was looking at her bruised knuckles, absentminded, distracted by the way the blood under her skin seemed to change shape as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

 

“Konoha… as a military state, exists to rule over the world around it through violence,” She finally said, her voice quiet, her hands falling open, palms up, “And it exchanges that violence, not on morality, but on the principle of money. Money and more power. The land of fire’s greatest fighters are available to the highest bidder. The laws followed by the common man are not followed by ninja, and nin are only at the disposal of those who can afford to hire them. This world- what they call this  _ Shinobi _ world… is not ruled by  _ shinobi _ … it is ruled by the lords who can afford them,”

 

Naru felt her mouth go dry. Her mind flew to Nyoko, with her wooden shoes and head filled with romance novels. The gold Naru’d taken as a gift for delivering her home safe. How she’s killed assassins who she couldn’t truly blame. “And what will my death do to fix this? Are you going to kidnap and kill every shinobi in Konoha?”

 

The woman looked sadly up at Naru. “We…”

 

“... you want to kill her, don’t you?” Naru said quietly as it clicked, “You’re trying to get me to give you information on Baa-chan because you want to kill her. She’s the strongest person in Konoha. You want…” Naru swallowed, and then snarled. “Well you better slit my throat now because I’m not talking,”

 

“That’s what you think,” The woman said quietly, walking backward until she was standing in the middle of the room, and then nodding at the Scrub. “Continue. And… start on her face,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> naru: White Flag, Bishop Briggs


	100. Sakura, Tracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pbbbt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shortest chapter of all time but i’m tiiiredd

Sakura tilted her head. Akamaru’s nose was on the ground. She frowned. “What, you’re telling me that they walked? Like… On the ground?”

 

Kiba turned to her and cocked an eyebrow. “They didn’t just walk. They dragged her. Look,” He pushed some leaves and debris aside. “They dragged her. But that’s fine- better, even. It makes them dead easy to track,”

 

“Are you… These people. They can’t possibly be nin,” Shikamaru said, tilting his head as he looked down at the marks along the ground. “No nin would do this,”

 

“Who would be kidnapping her if it wasn’t a nin?” Kiba asked, his hands in his pockets as he gaped at Shikamaru. Neji cleared his throat.

 

“Well, at least we know it wasn’t the Akatsuki. That was a concern of yours, wasn’t it, Nara?”

 

Sakura looked at Shikamaru as his cheeks reddened slightly. “It was. I’m glad that it wasn’t them, but this raises more questions than it answers,” He said, returning Neji’s gaze steadily. Neji crossed his arms and frowned, making like he was going to reply. Sakura cut him short.

 

“Well let’s answer them as we go along, shall we? The longer we wait, the longer Naru’s…” Her voice trailed off, and the three boys all looked at Sakura. Kiba nodded. 

 

“You’re right. Follow me,” He said sharply, taking off. Sakura ran after him, followed closely by the other two.

 

_ We’re coming, Naru. Hang in there. _


	101. Naru, Unbreakable Chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru finds out she’s deeper in than she thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Naru felt tears stinging her eyes, but refused to let anything but the occasional hiss leave her lips. The scrub had carved interlacing designs into her cheeks, drilled into the bone of her nose, cut into her lip. They were busy scraping a scalpel along her brow bone, the blood running down over Naru’s face. She spat, blood running down over her chin and chest. 

 

“Ah, you really are going for it, huh?” she groaned, balling up her fists. “What do you guys call yourselves? Kidnapping Incorporated?”

 

“The Healers,” The woman in the center of the room replied, “We’re going to heal this nation, after all,”

 

“Uh,” Naru spluttered and laughed as the scrub stepped back and poured saltwater over her face, “I may… disagree with you on that one,”

 

_ That’s as much as I care to get, Pops. Let’s break these chains and scram. _

 

Naru let chakra rise in her stomach, gathering it up, then she pushed it out into her arms, yanking down hard. The second she did, her whole body felt a jolt, and every muscle in her arms and legs went limp and tingly. She spluttered, trying to blink the salt and blood out of her eyes. The boy laughed.

 

“I was wondering when you would try something slick,” He said calmly, tilting his head. Naru stared at him. The woman cleared her throat.

 

“Thirteen and his brother, Twelve, possess a unique ability. They can channel their chakra through solid objects to suppress another’s chakra network,” The woman smiled. Naru gasped at her. “You really…  _ really _ will die here,”

 

“I’m tired. Can someone go wake up Twelve?” The boy said. He was a little hunched over, and there was sweat on his forehead. Naru bit her lip. 

 

_ Pops, this isn’t looking good, where are you? _

 

**_TRYING TO MEND YOUR BROKEN RIBS, BRAT. I HEARD. I’M TRYING TO THINK._ **

 

_ Think faster! _

 

**_AN IRONIC DEMAND COMING FROM YOU._ **

 

_ Oh, fuck you. _

 

Naru struggled to support herself again, and strained against her shackles. The jolt ran again. The boy in the corner grunted. 

 

“Someone get twelve, now!” He barked, snarling. The scrub turned and left the room as Naru grit her teeth and pulled herself up again. 

 

She yanked forward, tensing every muscle in her body and channeling all the chakra in her body. The jolt this time struck her so hard her vision went blank. 

 

“I’m surprised,” The woman in the center of the room said. “They normally pass out on the first suppression. She would have been valuable to the cause,”

 

“Shut it and get my brother in here,” groaned Thirteen, his breathing ragged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Gunfight, Sick Puppies


	102. Sasuke, The Broken Man In The Cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke gets his fourth team member

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... guess who's bacK? it's me. Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth, my brain decided to kick my ass in a back alley and what can be said?

Sasuke drew his sword, twirling it in his hand and swinging it forward. He glared at the prisoners posturing in front of him. “Get out of my way or I will be forced to subdue you,” He said coldly. One man grinned, sharp teeth emerging from his gums as his curse mark spread across his body. 

 

“I’m taking that as a no,” Suigetsu laughed, smiling as he clicked the handle onto his sword and drew it, using both hands to brandish the unwieldy weapon. Karin stood back, adjusting her glasses as Sasuke and Suigetsu quickly knocked out the prisoners in front of them. More than once, Suigetsu went in for the kill, only to find Sasuke had knocked his victim out before he could.

 

After they’d cleared all the prisoners in their vicinity, Sasuke looked around at Karin. “You know where his cell is located?”

 

“Of course,” Karin said, a cold edge to her voice, as though she was offended that he even had to ask. 

 

He stepped aside and sheathed his sword. “Then feel free to lead the way,”

 

She did, indicating directions well before they reached the turnings. Suigetsu, irritable from the practically bloodless fight and his usual short attention span, started to rush ahead of them. 

 

Karin grasper Sasuke’s hand and pulled him down a branching corridor. She looked at him, blushing. 

 

“This way,”

 

Sasuke frowned. “But Suigetsu-“

 

“Never mind him,” Karin whispered, pulling him along and leading him through into a higher security wing. Sasuke matched her steps, doing all he could to memorise their path. 

 

Eventually, she came to a stop outside of a door with about seven locks, all bolted shut. She looked grim, both eyes fixed on the cold metal. Sasuke let the silence stretch, waiting for her to speak, despite her obvious disinclination. Eventually he tilted his head.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Him,”

 

“Him what?”

 

“He’s… in there,”

 

“What is he doing?” Sasuke asked. Karin narrowed her eyes, then closed them, brow furrowed. She shifted her weight her hands opening and then curling closed again, like she was feeling for threads at her sides. She scowled.

 

“He’s… just… sitting on the ground. Against the far wall,” Karin opened her eyes and  glared at the door. Sasuke gestured for her to step back, and she did, her footsteps quick and near silent. 

 

“Knock knock,” Sasuke hissed, drawing his sword and letting the chidori run down its length. He sliced through the locks of the door, then pulled it open. 

 

The light stretched out into the room, and a massive figure shifted out of its path. 

 

“Close the door,” A low rumble echoed through the air, and Sasuke blinked slowly. 

 

“Orochimaru is dead,” Sasuke said, keeping his voice even. “You’re free,”

 

“I’ll never be free,” The man said. Sasuke watched as he got to his feet and stepped out into the light. He was startlingly tall, with flaming red hair and an expression that was a mixture of exhaustion and anger. “I can never leave. Go. Get out,”

 

Sasuke looked up into his face, tightening the grip he had on the sword in his hand. “What if I refuse?”

 

And then suddenly, he was slammed back, pinned hard against the far wall, a grey arm, monstrous and unbelievably strong, had him in its grip. Juugo- because there was no way this was anyone but Juugo- snarled in Sasuke’s face, skin turning grey and rough on his face. 

 

“Then you’ll die,”

 

Sasuke smiled, and let his own curse mark grow over him, pushing Juugo back and meeting his eyes, just as Suigetsu came around the corner, brandishing his sword. 

 

“Hey!” He barked, charging forward. Sasuke sighed heavily and held both his arms wide, transforming them into snakes and coiling them tightly around both Juugo and Suigetsu. 

 

When they were both immobilised, he glanced over at Karin, who had flattened herself down to the ground and was looking at them with an expression of nervousness and excitement. 

 

“Now, can we all at least agree not to kill each other until I’ve made my offer?” 

 

Suigetsu snarled, but didn’t protest. Juugo was breathing shallowly, staring at Sasuke as though he’d never seen anything like him. 

 

“Who are you?”

 

Sasuke turned to him and tilted his head, making no move to release either of them. “Sasuke Uchiha,”

  
  


Juugo’s face slackened with surprise and recognition. Sasuke couldn’t help the way his eyebrow twitched. He hadn’t expected Juugo to know him. “Sasuke?”

 

Sasuke nodded shortly. Juugo blinked, then inhaled. 

 

“What do you want from me?”

 

“Your help,” Sasuke said, “I have a mission, and I need a team. Your skills would come in handy,”

 

Juugo shook his head. “I can’t leave. I can’t control myself, not since he…. No. I need my cage. I don’t… I don’t want to hurt anyone,”

 

Suigetsu snorted. Sasuke, however nodded. “Well… I could be your cage. I could prevent you from hurting anyone,”

 

Juugo’s entire body slackened. He was looking at Sasuke like he recognised him now, like he knew his face, like he’d known him longer than anyone. Sasuke didn’t think anyone had ever looked at him the way Juugo was looking at him now. 

 

“Well you better. I’m not going to be the only one getting cockblocked by you,” Suigetsu sneered, struggling in Sasuke’s grip again. Sasuke ignored him. Karin got to her feet and dusted herself off. 

 

“Well, whether you’re going to let them go or carry them both, let’s get moving,” She brushed her hair back and adjusted her glasses, frowning, “this place is depressing,”

 

But Sasuke kept looking at Juugo. They were staring each other down, and Sasuke refused to blink first. 

 

Eventually, Juugo broke, taking in a deep breath and letting his curse mark fade. “I’ll come with you,” He said, dropping his gaze and looking at the ground. Sasuke nodded, and drew the snakes from his arms back, letting them become hands again at his sides. For a moment, they were all tense, but then Suigetsu swung his sword overhead and latched it to his back, grinning his sharp, crooked grin. 

 

“Glad to have you on the team, big guy,” He sneered, breezing past them and grabbing his cup from its holster, slurping it loudly as he slunk past Karin, winking at her. She swung at him, but he sidestepped her. 

 

Sasuke scowled. He felt a tug in his chest he didn’t want to name. He knew what it was. He missed her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke: Black & Blue, Call Me Karizma


	103. Naru, Real Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru pushes too far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MMMM what's crackin folks

Naru’s head cracked back against the wall as the scrub’s fist hit her nose. 

 

“I may have earned that one,” She slurred, spitting blood out and shaking her head, trying to clear it. Another punch. 

 

They’d realised she was healing, and that all the careful, exacting work they had done to damage the nerves in her hands wasn’t permanent. They’d lost it entirely, and with two taunts from Naru, had finally resulted to just pummelling her into the wall. She laughed as she felt her ribs break under their foot.

 

“Oh,” She gasped, wincing, “Can you even it out? I like to be symmetrical. Get the other side too,” 

 

They screamed in frustration, turning to the table, snatching up a scalpel and driving it into her chest. Naru’s eyes flew wide, and she spluttered, blood bubbling up through her mouth as her lung filled with blood. 

 

There was a crashing door, and fast footsteps, but Naru’s vision was blurring, darkening. “Nine, what the hell ar e  y o u d o i n g-”

 

Blackness. Naru waited, looking around for the door into her mind, to Kurama, waiting for him. But it didn’t appear. There was nothing, no one, and she was standing alone in the dark. 

 

“... Hello?” She called, moving to step forward, trying desperately to see anything but the neverending darkness that stretched out around her. She realised that she wasn’t actually standing on anything, that she felt nothing at all, that there was no sensations. A knot rose in her throat. 

 

“P-pops? Hello? Kurama?” She called, her voice swallowed whole in the darkness. Panic rose in her chest.  _ Am I… Dead? _

 

“Kurama I’m sorry!” She bellowed, clenching her fists but unable to feel them. “I should never have boarded you up! I should never have blamed you! I’m... “ Her voice broke, and she swallowed. “...sorry…” she whispered, the sound just exactly the same as her shouting, there was no satisfaction in it, in the lack of pain she felt in her throat, in the lack of noise around her. She gasped for breath she couldn’t feel and felt her eyes for tears that weren’t falling. 

 

“Is this… Hell?”

 

“ **_NO, BRAT,_ ** ” Kurama’s bellow sounded through the dark,  **_“YOU’RE JUST UNCONSCIOUS. I CAN’T HAVE YOU IN THE MIND. I’M WORKING THERE,”_ **

 

Naru straightened up, glaring around her. “What the fuck, Pops? You scared the everliving shit out of me,”

 

**_“I’D THANK YOU NOT TO INCUR FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE BODY. I REALLY DO NOT WISH TO MAKE YOU ANOTHER ONE. THIS ONE IS MY FAVOURITE THUS FAR,”_ **

 

“Fuck you, bastard,” Naru sighed. “Where am I?”

 

“ **_I PUT YOU IN THE SEAL,”_ ** He snapped, “ **_NOW LET ME WORK IN PEACE_ ** ,” 

 

“Honestly, you’re such a flaming asshole,”

 

“ **_I FORGIVE YOU, BY THE WAY, KIT_ ** ,” He said, a smug note in his deafening, headache inducing voice. Naru rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. 

 

“Yeah, well, I take it back,”

 

“ **_BRAT,”_ **

 

“Stowaway,”

 

“ **_SIT TIGHT_ ** ,”

 

“I have no other choice, huh?”

 

“ **_NO, YOU DON’T_ ** ,”

 

“Then I guess I will,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Damn Loyal, Eves Karydas
> 
> Kurama: Above And Below, The Bravery


	104. Kurama, Borrowed Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurama takes the body for a joy ride. It goes better than last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, turns out my brain is still a cesspool and I have no inspiration for anything so thanks for your patience!

When Kurama opened their eyes, he couldn’t help but smile. They looked over at the boy who was gripping the wall. He was the only person in the room who was paying attention. The only person who knew something was happening. 

 

Kurama couldn’t help it. They began to laugh. They ripped the chains from the wall and the boy collapsed to the ground, either unconscious or dead. The sound made the others- the torturer and the woman in white both slap their hands over their ears and turn, horror in their eyes when they say Kurama standing there, the body’s muscles stuttering, the skin of their hands beginning to burn. He didn’t try to expel the power inside of them, he kept it in, under the surface this time. 

 

This was going to be an exercise in control. An attempt to use the body without breaking it. He grinned. There was obviously something off about their appearance, from the horror on the faces of Naru’s captors, but Kurama wasn’t sure what it might be. They opened their mouth and attempted to speak. 

 

“ **_YOU HAVE MADE… A-_ ** ” the voice screeched, and they rolled their head, flexing their hands, open and closed, trying desperately to keep control of the chakra beginning to overtake the body. “ **_GRAVE… MISTAKE…_ ** ” 

 

“Oh, gods,” The woman in white gasped, backing away, “They’re the Jinchuriki of the Leaf… we kidnapped the damned Jinchuriki-”

 

Kurama grinned impossibly wide, and swung the chains forward, shooting their scalding chakra along them as they wrapped around both the captors. The torturer shrieked, but the woman in white just stared at Kurama, eyes wide in horror. 

 

“ **_… SHE MAY HAVE GIVEN ME-RCY…”_ ** Their muscles moved jerkily as they drew the captors in. “ **_BUT I WIL-L NOT FORGIVE_ ** ,”

 

Human bodies shattered so easily under his grip, even when they were holding back, trying to keep her form whole. There was no way their body was as fragile as the man’s, whose ribs buckled as Kurama caught hold of him. There was no way Naru dealt with this fragility. She was much, much stronger and better than these hopeless, messy little mortals and their sticky blood. He grimaced as he wiped some away. They didn’t even have the decency to die cleanly. 

 

But she wouldn’t want the boys dead, they knew, so they dragged their unconscious forms through the unfamiliar hideout and eventually deposited them outside the entrance, before ducking back in and slaughtering every last pathetic little worm in the building. They found fuel, and alcohol, and splashed it up every wall, every inch of fabric and pathetic, broken body. They drenched the entire place, then strolled out, leaving a trail of fuming liquid behind them. 

 

They once again dragged the boys, their chains clinking alongside the little bloody, unconcious bodies as Kurama hummed. They dropped the boy’s ankles and turned, making to walk back toward the entrance one last time, but they sensed something, just on the edge of their periphery, and they paused. 

  
“ ** _I SUPPOSE I C-CAN WA-IT,”_** they cooed, smiling at the ruined hideout, **_“THESE THI-NGS ARE B-EST ENJOYED WI-TH AN AUDIENCE,”_** Kurama grinned. They could wait. They would gladly wait. They had wanted a word with… these children, anyway. For almost a thousand years. What a wonderful way to do it. ****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> Stigmata, grandson


	105. Shikamaru, Meeting The Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru meets a hijacker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, kids

Shikamaru paused, holding out his hand. At first, he was relieved. It was definitely Naru standing there, staring at doors that had been blasted open. Metal torn, bent, broken. But barely a second ticked by before he felt it. A heat in the air, like it was… boiling. And her body… It flickered, or stuttered. Like she was twitching too quickly for him to see. 

 

“Oh, fuck,” Sakura snapped, before her head rolled forward and snapped back up, her expression suddenly different, her stance changing as she reached across her body to grasp a knife with her bad hand. Her other half had taken over.

 

“ **_I WAS BE-GINN-ING TO THINK YOU HAD GO-TTEN LO-ST,”_ ** Naru’s body laughed, stuttering harder as it turned to look over her shoulder and grin at them. Her teeth were sharp, and her eyes a fiery, inhuman red with slits for pupils. “ **_I AM SO GL-AD THAT YOU M-ADE IT. WEAKLING. GIRL- OR R-ATHER, GIRL’S OTHER HA-LF. MUTT. OH, AND Y-OU. THE HY-UUGA. THE SEN-JU SENT YOU FOR MY K-IT? THIS IS TH-E B-EST SHE COUL-D DO?_ ** ” Naru’s body scoffed and shook her head. “ **_MY KIT I-S S-O LUCKY TO HAVE ME,_ ** ” 

 

“Kurama, you’ve known us long enough to learn our fucking names. It’s Ibara,” Ibara said, tilting her head, “Where is Naru?”

 

_ Kurama- the demon in Naru’s body has a name then _ . Kurama grinned again.

 

“ **_SH-ARP AS YOUR OTHER SOUL, GI-RL! I DO LIKE THIS I-TER-ATION. YES. MY KIT IS SAFE. SHE CAN-NOT HE-AR US. WHICH IS A R-ARE OPPORT-UNITY…_ ** ” The demon’s eyes shifted over the three boys, and it summoned a flame in one hand before hurling it down at its feet. The ground caught light, and the fire shot forward into the door, where it roared higher and higher until they began to hear explosions and walls collapsing inside. 

 

The demon grinned and turned fully around, walking toward them, flickering unsettlingly and stepping over a pair of unconscious teenage boys. Kurama was drenched in blood, and seeing Naru looking like that, like a vision from hell… Shikamaru swallowed nervously. 

 

“An opportunity for what?” Neji asked, and Shikamaru wondered if he really was as calm as he sounded as the demon drew closer. Kurama turned to him, it’s eyes widening slightly. It looked delighted, absolutely thrilled with the question. 

 

“ **_WHY, FOR A CON-VERSATION, OF C-OURSE!”_ ** The way the thing spoke, twisted Naru’s voice, made her sound headache inducing and evil… Shikamaru’s knees felt a little weak. There was no plan. They couldn’t possibly fight- not only did they stand no chance against the nine-tails, but they couldn’t harm Naru’s body. Kurama had every ounce of power in the situation. “ **_I ASSUME Y-OU CAN ALL SIT AND LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, CONS-IDERING IT IS MY KIT THAT YOU ALL… W-ELL… LET’S NOT BE… CR-UDE,”_ ** The demon grinned again, and even Neji seemed cowed by the knowledge that the demon held. 

 

“So you’ve been… watching? You’ve been there the whole time? Her whole life?” Shikamaru managed, and he was almost proud of how level his voice was. Kurama turned to him, and tilted Naru’s head. It did not look delighted when it looked at him the way it did when it looked at Neji, or even Ibara. It scowled at him. 

 

“ **_WELL, OBVIOUSLY. WH-AT ELSE WAS THERE TO D-O IN THAT PRISON?”_ **

 

“Leave!” Kiba barked, “Get out of her,”

 

Neji turned to Kiba. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Kiba, you fool. Don’t you know wha- who Naru is?”

 

Kiba snarled. “Who- I’ve known her for years! She’s-”

 

“ **_YOU DON’T KN-OW HER AT A-LL_ ** ,” Kurama cackled, grinning wide, bringing its hands to Naru’s chest and digging its claws into her skin, “ **_NONE OF YOU P-ATHETIC LITTLE M-ORTALS DO! THIS IS WHY I’M SO E-AGER TO SPEAK TO YOU A-LL_ ** ,” Kurama grinned wider, directing it’s words to Shikamaru specifically, entering firmly into his personal space, heatwaves rolling off Naru’s stolen body, her raw, skinless fingers coming bloody away from her chest and coming up, almost as though the demon wanted to cradle his face, maybe snap his neck. “ **_I W-ANT YOU ALL TO KN-OW, THAT SHE WILL NE-VER BE YOURS. THAT I HAVE SEEN TH-IS. IT HAS PL-AYED OUT O-VER AND O-VER AGAIN AND AT TH-E END OF TH-E DAY, YOU WILL N-EVER KNOW MY K-IT LIKE I DO. THAT SHE W-ILL AL-WAYS DEP-END ON ME, AND TH-AT NONE OF YOU P-ATH-ETIC LITTLE MO-RTALS WILL EVER C-OME CLOSE TO M-E. SHE IS E-VERY IN-CH, EVER-Y CELL, EVERY BR-EATH,_ ** **MINE** ,” Kurama beamed at Shikamaru and shook Naru’s head. “ **_SHE CH-OOSES TO R-ESTART. SHE CHO-OSES ME, EVERY SI-NGLE TIME, YOU BL-IND, FOOLISH LITTLE CHILD-REN. AND NONE OF YOU W-ILL EVER TOUCH HER S-OUL, BE-CAUSE IT BEL-ONGS TO ME, SHE IS MY KIT_ ** ,”

 

“You done, gramps?” Ibara sneered, feigning a yawn. Kurama turned to her, and suddenly was standing in her personal space. Shikamaru watched as her short hair fluttered in the hot air rolling off of the demon, but Ibara didn’t blink as she stared down the demon. 

 

“ **_MIND YOUR TONE, GIRL,”_ **

 

“You’re just mad that she’s not letting you out to play anymore,” Ibara sneered. “Trust me, I would know. This is nothing but a Jinchuriki-sized tantrum,”

 

“ **_WHO S-AVED HER? WH-O WAS HERE TO PULL H-ER FROM THE CHAINS?_ ** ” 

 

“Who let it happen in the first place?” Ibara sneered, stepping  _ closer  _ to the demon. Neji cleared his throat.

 

“I think that it is time that you gave Naru her body back, Nine-tails,”

 

Kurama snapped Naru’s head toward him and snarled. “ **_FILTHY L-ITTLE SNEAK, I KN-OW YOUR G-AME, W-AITING F-OR YOUR CH-ANCE IN THE SHA-DOWS,”_ **

 

“Let her go!” Kiba snarled. Kurama turned on him now, and Akamaru backed up, growling. 

 

“ **_AND YOU, L-ITTLE MUTT, MO-RE BE-AST THAN MAN…_ ** ” He hissed something filthy, disgusting, and it made Kiba flush bright red and snap his mouth closed. 

 

“Back off, sideliner,” Ibara hissed. 

 

“ **_AND YOU, SE-COND IN EVE-RYTHING, EVEN YOUR OWN BODY-”_ **

 

“One to talk, hitchhiker,”

 

“ **_SHE PRE-FERS SAKURA TO YOU,”_ **

 

And Ibara fell silent too, fuming but unwilling to attempt a contradiction.

 

Shikamaru squared his shoulders, he set his jaw. He drew himself up as tall as he could and stared at the demon. “Unseal her,”

 

Kurama stilled, and looked at him again. Shikamaru frowned.

 

“That’s what you did, didn’t you? You said she couldn’t hear you. I’ve read the reports. Normally she fights you. She takes damage from fighting you back as well as the enemy. Loses control. But she’s not fighting you now. You locked her up, didn’t you?”

 

Kurama grinned again with Naru’s face and bagan slowly clapping her burned hands. “ **_YOU REALLY A-RE CLEVER,_ ** ” the demon tilted Naru’s head, “ **_I ONLY DID IT SO THAT I COULD G-ET HER OUT OF TH-ERE. THIS WAS AN ADDED BO-NUS,”_ **

 

“You know what I think?” Shikamaru snapped, glaring into the red eyes that Naru wasn’t behind. 

 

“ **_I DON’T C-ARE_ ** ,”

 

“I think that you’re jealous-”

 

**_“JEALOUS? OF YOU PATHETIC M-ORTALS-_ ** ” 

 

“Because she’s choosing us, and you were only ever something she had no choice but to rely on,” Shikamaru walked forward, crossing his arms, so sure that he was about to die, “you may be have the reins right now, but the driver is picking a route that you don’t like,”

 

Kurama reached up and wrapped Naru’s scalding hand around his throat, snarling up into his face. Shikamaru coughed, but Ibara stepped forward.

 

“Naru won’t be happy if you hurt him,”

 

“ **_THE BR-AT ISN’T HERE!”_ **

 

“But she will be. You love her too much to keep her locked up, and when she gets free she’ll take the body, and you bet your many-tailed-ass that when she gets the body, I’ll tell her what happened. Do you think she’s that stupid?”

 

Kurama paused, then released Shikamaru with a snarl. The demon brought its hand to Naru’s chest again, pointing at her heart. “ **_SHE’S MINE. MI-NE. MY KIT. YOU… WILL NEVER… MEA-SURE UP… TO_ ** **ME,** ” 

 

Ibara sneered. “She doesn’t even want you,”

 

“ **_BUT SHE NE-EDS ME,”_ ** Kurama snapped, “ **_ONE L-AST THING. KILL TH-E UCHIHA. HE TR-IES TO MURDER HER A-GAIN,_ ** ”

 

Ibara pursed her lips and shook her head. “I was going to anyway,” She crossed her arms. “She’s taking damage. You might have a better handle on it than you did before, but she’s burning. I’ll give the body back to Sakura so she can heal her if you let her back out,”

 

Kurama blinked unhappily. The demon seemed to realise that there wasn’t anything left to be done. It looked down at the two young boys on the ground.

 

“ **_THEY WERE IN THE RO-OM WHILE THEY TO-RTURED HER. AN IN-TERESTING KEKKEI GEN-KAI. ALL THE OTH-ERS ARE DE-AD,”_ **

 

“Go back, Nine Tails,” Neji said calmly, “She needs to be let out,”

 

Kurama sneered, its hand coming up to cup the side of Naru’s face briefly, running its fingers along the lines there. Absently. Like it was trying to memorise the feeling of physical touch. Then it closed Naru’s eyes, and collapsed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurama: Monster (Under My Bed), Call Me Karizma
> 
> Shikamaru: Bandages, Hot Hot Heat
> 
> Ibara: Kids, PUP
> 
> Neji: Naive, The Kooks
> 
> Kiba: Fell In Love With A Girl, The White Stripes


	106. Naru, Don't Worry, I'm Still Laughing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru talks a bunch to three people who have a crush on her and one person who used to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, the awkwardness of trying to talk to someone your family has just scared half to death

Naru’s eyes shot open, and she was looking up at Neji’s pale eyes. His expression was concerned, and she felt someone behind her shift their grip. She was being held aloft by someone very thin behind her. 

 

“Whoa… bright eyes… where am I? how did you get here? Why is it so…  _ hot? _ I’m sweating my ass off,” She winced, bringing a raw hand to her aching forehead. 

 

“Kurama set the enemy hideout on fire. Also you suffered some pretty bad burns from his chakra,” Sakura said, nudging Neji out of her way and starting to examine Naru’s injuries. Naru groaned and shifted in Shikamaru’s grip, surprised by how weak she felt. 

 

“Sakura, don’t worry about it, Kurama’ll heal me up,” Naru said, waving her off. Everyone stiffened. Kurama started laughing in the back of her mind. She frowned. “... What’s wrong?”

 

Sakura cleared her throat and glanced up at Shikamaru. Neji looked away, fidgeting awkwardly. 

 

“Your demon hitchhiker is a real dick,” Kiba barked from somewhere behind Shikamaru. Naru frowned and set her hand over her chest. There were little puncture wounds there. 

 

“Yeah well, demon’s don’t have reputations for being charming,” She snapped. Neji shifted again.

 

“He said… some things…”

 

Naru paused. “He… he spoke?”

 

Shikamaru shifted his grip and grunted a little, at which Sakura and Neji both started forward. Neji, surprisingly, got there first, stooping and scooping Naru up in his arms. She grunted, then offered him a crooked grin.

 

“I’m gonna get your nice shirt all bloody, Bright Eyes,” she teased, “Not to mention the fact that uh… I’m not as small as I was last time you did this,”

 

Neji kept his deadpan, almost disapproving expression. “Neither am I. And this is the shirt I wear on missions. It washes well. Don’t worry about bloodying it, Naru-san,”

 

Shikamaru was flushed, rubbing his arms awkwardly. “Ah… uh… I suppose we should head back,”

 

Naru sighed, and Sakura slung the bodies of Twelve and Thirteen over her shoulders, casting a bitter glance at Neji, who was drawing Naru closer in against his chest, and then started stomping past Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba was looking between the three ninja he came with with a look of dawning comprehension. His eyes shot to Naru, and his face split into a sudden, crooked grin. 

 

“Damn, short stop, you really got the moves, huh?”

 

“Obviously not,” Naru said, wiping her hand off on what was left of her trousers and showing him the carefully laced scars there. “Else I wouldn’t have these,”

 

“What… what happened?” Kiba asked, squinting at the net of scar tissue over her hands and arms. 

 

“Torture,” She said bitterly, turning her hand back to face herself and flexing it. She was glad she would keep the scars, lace-like and branching, with acid burn scars matting over any slats of skin untouched by the scalpel. Naru shot a glance at the burning building, and wondered exactly what she was feeling, now she knew all of them were dead. She turned back to Neji and gestured over her face. “My mug even uglier? Be honest. I’ll see it eventually,”

 

Neji looked down at her, and tilted his head. “Never ugly. But… they did scar you,”

 

Naru nodded, then looked at Kiba. “Where’s the honesty, my good man?”

 

“You look busted as shit, but no one is gonna be able to look at you and do anythin’ but take you serious now,”

 

Naru beamed at him and laughed, clutching her ribs as she did. “Oh, at least something good came of it. These losers coulda done with takin’ a leaf or two outta Ibiki’s book. They didn’t get a word out of me the whole time I was chained,”

 

Shikamaru scoffed, and they began walking, Naru still held carefully in Neji’s arms. “I doubt you held your tongue. Well, not that you didn’t betray anyone, but I think they probably got a fair few choice words from you,”

 

“Grumpy, you do know me, huh?” Naru laughed, letting her head rest against Neji’s chest and humming happily for a moment. But her smile slid from her, and she turned to look at Shikamaru again. “Ah, how are you holding up? I uh… I haven’t seen you since my bones got wood chipped,”

 

Shikamaru scowled. “Are your seriously asking me how I’m doing after you’ve been kidnapped and tortured?”

 

“Well I’m not jokingly asking you,”

 

“I’m… fine, Sunshine,” Shikamaru sighed, “I was really worried about you,”

 

Naru smiled sadly. “It’s okay to not be okay,” She said. Kiba hummed in agreement. Sakura nodded. Neji was entirely stoic, but his grip on Naru tightened a little protectively.

 

“You’re right,” Shikamaru said sharply, “So why don’t you just let yourself be not okay for a second and stop worrying about anything other than your batshit insane demon pal healing the burns he gave you,”

 

“My batshit insane demon pal is healing the burns whether or not I worry about them,” Naru laughed. Neji cleared his throat awkwardly and then looked down at Naru.

 

“I think what Nara meant was that you should relax. Maybe try to sleep,”  

 

Naru shot a look at Shikamaru, just to see how he reacted to being called ‘Nara’, but besides being maybe a little bit pinker than usual, he was decidedly unreactive. Then again, almost no one was as good at looking like they didn’t caress Shikamaru was. 

 

“Sleep’s for suckers,” Naru said, grinning, “I can't remember the last time we all hung out together! Maybe never… Kiba, have we never all hung out together?”

 

Kiba looked over his shoulder and grinned. “No I don’t think we have. It used to be You, me, Choji-chan and Shikamaru, remember?”

 

Naru let out a raucous laugh, leaning her head against Neji’s chest. “A’course I do! What a riot, damn, remember that one time…”

 

She continued to reminisce about a prank they had played on Mizuki in the academy, even drawing a laugh from Shikamaru as she described the way she’d gotten caught with the itching powder they’d put on his chair. Neji and Sakura were both looking very stern as the other three cackled. When Naru turned back to Neji, however, she poked him gently in the jaw and winked.

 

“Don’t look so grumpy! He did wind up trying to kill me, after all,”

 

Neji’s hands tightened on her again, and she smiled brightly at him. 

 

“Bright eyes,” She teased, wiggling in his grip so he’d face was closer to his, throwing her hands around his neck and grinning, “You look so mad. Everything is alright! I’m safe, I still have the use of my hands, no one’s managed to murder me yet,”

 

“My issue is with the fact that anyone is trying,” Neji said, his cheeks flushing slightly as he fixed his eyes straight ahead, despite her face being inches from his. 

 

“Oh, people are always going to try. I’m a very murderable person,”

Kiba laughed, but the other three all looked upset at the suggestion. Naru frowned and wiped a bead of sweat from Neji’s temple with her thumb.

 

“Bright eyes…. Put me down,”

 

Neji finally looked at her, surprise in his expression. “What… why?”

 

“You’re sweating. I’m heavy. I can walk, bright eyes,”

 

Neji shook his head. “No, no, I’m going to carry you,”

 

Naru shook her head and let go of his neck, pressing gently on his chest until she fell from his arms, landing unsteadily on her feet and then standing, one knee shaking slightly.

 

“No, I can walk. Kurama is healing me up, and I don’t need help,”

 

Neji scowled and caught her arm, ducking under it and pulling some of the weight off of her feet. “Don’t depend so much on that devil,” He said, “We’re here, and we want to help,”

 

She blinked, then looked around at the others. They had all shot her meaningful looks at Neji’s words. She cleared her throat, reaching up and tugging on the strap of her sports bra nervously. “Ah… I think when we get back, once I’m showered up and you guys have finished your reports… I think we should grab a drink. Together,” 

 

Kiba perked up, but Shikamaru sneered. 

 

“None of us are old enough to drink,”

 

“Then we can drink at my apartment. We are ninja. Are you seriously telling me I’ve been killing people for four years and I’m not allowed a beer?” Naru laughed. Kiba grinned. Shikamaru looked around at the others. Sakura shrugged. Neji just kept looking at Naru. 

 

“I do still owe you that drink, Naru-san,”

 

Naru beamed. “Then you’re in charge of booze. It’s a plan!” She laughed, and they all seemed to brighten a little as she did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Figure This Out, The Wrecks
> 
> Neji: Somebody Special, Nina Nesbitt
> 
> Shikamaru: Goodie Bag, Still Woozy
> 
> Kiba: Talk Too Much, COIN
> 
> Sakura: Ugotme, Omar Apollo


	107. Ino, Daring and A Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ino is mean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry

Ino frowned. Sakura was moving her hands over the scrapes and cuts and scars matting Naru’s skin. The Jinchuriki (Because someone had hissed the fact that Naru was a goddamn demon host into Ino’s ear ten minutes ago, and she had a sneaking suspicion that was why so many teenagers were in the apartment building) was looking exhausted, and she kept having to tell people about how she’d been tortured. Shikamaru was hovering over her, plying her with water and food, saying she’d lost too much weight and hissing at Sakura to heal the scars on her face. Neji was orbiting too, but more to make sure that no one was damaging Naru’s disaster of an apartment. Ino had helped, during Naru’s training, to fix it, and had helped pick and care for the plants that now covered the place, but she knew what the paint on the walls was hiding.

 

Ino scowled into whatever was in the drink swirling in the punch bowl someone had brought, and watched as Naru was fussed over, taken care of, healed. She watched Sakura’s elegant figure, her worried face, her sharp eyes and tongue as the girl she’d built her life around ignored everyone but the demon host sitting on a chair that Ino’s dead sensei had bought after a mission she and her team had completed with no loss of life or injury. 

 

But soon enough, Naru brushed Sakura away, and she stood, grinning around at everyone in her apartment. Most of the people who had gone to the academy and were still alive were there, the rest were in the halls and had broken into empty apartments to cause mischief and host their own gatherings. All the living teenagers of Konoha were in the public housing facility now that Naru was home and her secret was out. Everyone wanted to be close to the devil in shinobi sandals. Everyone wanted to see if he’d spring his trap again.

 

“Let’s play a game! Let’s do something  _ fun…” _ Naru was slurring, her voice low and her grin wide. Tenten perked up, letting go of Kiba, who she’d been giving a noogie. 

 

“What kinda game?” Kiba barked. Akamaru barked too… but… Ino didn’t understand what he said. Naru drained her glass and snapped her fingers. She pointed at Shikamaru. 

 

“Come up with a game, Grumpy!” She laughed, swaying. Neji seemed to materialise at her side, pulling her to him. Shikamaru watched this, and he licked his lips quickly before looking away and sniffing loudly. 

 

“Why do you think I wanna come up with a game?”

 

Naru grinned, and pulled free of Neji to climb back onto the couch, catching the back of Shikamaru’s neck and drawing him close to her, grinning in his face and leaning toward him.

 

“Come on, this is your shit, man. You love this kinda stuff. We’re all the pieces. Come up with the game we’re playing, Grumpy,”

 

Shikamaru’s eyes were fixed on Naru’s face, and to any onlooker, he might look annoyed, but Ino knew better. Shikamaru looked like he was being offered everything he’d ever wanted at a price he couldn’t quite pay. He licked his lips again and looked over at Neji.

 

“Everyone here has been training hard. We all have a jutsu in our back pocket we wanna show off. Let’s see what everyone’s jutsu are, and then whoever’s is the best… gets… something,”

 

Kiba grinned, walking forward, grabbing Naru’s waist and setting his chin on her shoulder. “What should the prize be, Genius?”

 

Shikamaru frowned, but Naru grinned. 

 

“How about… if most of us agree that the jutsu is impressive, the winner gets to dare someone to do something?” She suggested, leaning back and grinning at Kiba, who’d been dislodged from her shoulder. He grinned back, both of them flashing fangs at each other. Ino could just picture tails wagging happily behind them both. Shikamaru swallowed and nodded, looking around. Lee leapt up from where he’d been talking to Hinata. The two boys and Shino were the only people in the room who hadn’t had anything at all to drink.

 

“Yes! This sounds so…”

 

“Youthful?” Ino sneered, turning and refilling her cup. Choji cast her a disapproving look. She rolled her eyes at him. 

 

“Who wants to play? Show of hands!” Naru barked. She and Kiba’s hands shot into the air. Choji raised his, and so did Shikamaru. Neji, Sakura, Hinata, Tenten. Lee jumped in the air and clapped his hands enthusiastically, grinning. Ino rolled her eyes and flicked her hair back. 

 

“I’m not going to be the only person not to…” She snapped. 

 

Shino, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, cleared his throat. “I’ll play,”

 

Sai, who had been scribbling in the corner, looked up, “I will play as well,” He breathed. Naru beamed. 

 

“That’s everyone then. how’re we gonna pick who goes first?”

 

“You pick,” Tenten laughed, “Since you’re the host!”

 

Naru grinned. “You go first then, since you’re so keen to tell me what to do,”

 

Tenten grinned, and pulled from her pocket a tiny scroll. Everyone’s eyes fixed on it. 

 

“It took a motherfucking  _ age _ to get this seal right,” Tenten said, tossing it into the air and biting her thumb. The scroll unravelled as it fell. 

 

She smeared her blood along it and in a puff of smoke they all had to dodge as chains tipped with kunai shot in every direction, piercing the walls deep and smashing more than one piece of furniture. Kiba had a cut across his cheek, and Shikamaru was flat on his back, Naru laying on top of him protectively. 

 

Tenten whistled low. “Okay, maybe… I shouldn’t have tried it for the first time indoors…”

 

“Likely not,” Neji said, tying his hair back into a ponytail where it had been cut loose, “You’ll have to pay for Naru-san’s walls to be fixed, Tenten,”

 

“Yeah, Yeah,” Tenten snapped, blushing. With a snap, the chains coiled back up, drawing the knives back in as they went. Everyone got to their feet, some people shooting Tenten dirty looks as they did. A puff of smoke and she was tucking the scroll back into her pocket:

 

“Well… Show of hands. Who’s impressed?” Naru said, picking Shikamaru back up and setting him on his feet. He was a bright pink colour Ino hadn’t ever seen before. 

 

Naru, Choji, Sakura and Hinata raised their hands. Tenten frowned. 

 

“Okay. I won’t use it indoors again,” She grumbled, blushing. Naru pouted and then bit her lip. 

 

“Sorry, Bunhead,” She sighed. Suddenly, her bright blue eyes shone again, and she smiled. “But you get to pick who’s next, how's that?”

 

Tenten blushed again, but looked around. Her eyes landed on Hinata. “Okay.  _ Hinata. _ Show off for us,”

 

“Oh!” Hinata blushed, but he got to his feet. He looked down at Lee, swallowing nervously. “Lee-san… The only Jutsu I’ve been working on is…”

 

Lee nodded, and got to his feet. Wordlessly, he drew into a combative position. Everyone in the room tensed up at the sight. Everyone save Hinata, who stayed solid in his place.

 

“On your mark, Hinata-sama,” Lee said calmly. Hinata took a deep breath, and then nodded, closing his eyes. In a flash, Lee disappeared, so fast in his movements that no one but a ocular jutsu user could possibly see him. 

 

But Hinata kept his eyes closed, and looked entirely untouched. In fact, after a second, Hinata began to rise from his place on the floor, and the pulse of chakra through the air became tangible as Hinata began to float a quarter of an inch off the floor. Lee, eventually, became visible again, out of breath and sweating, but Hinata, when his feet touched the floor again and his eyes reopened, looked untouched. Everyone stared at the two boys.

 

“Cool. So… what the fuck just happened?” Kiba asked, looking around at everyone in the room. Neji cleared his throat, and when Ino looked, she saw his Byakugan was activated.

 

“Lee was attacking at every point he could reach. Hinata has projected a field of chakra around himself that was entirely impermeable- at least, in reference to physical attacks,”

 

Hinata nodded, blushing slightly and ruffling his dark hair. Naru gaped at him.

 

“Dude… that’s literally so wicked cool!” She said, hopping up and down a little. “All those who think Hinata is impressive!” Naru punched the air. So did Sakura, Kiba, Neji, Lee, Shino, Shikamaru and Sai. Ino reluctantly raised her hand. Naru beamed.

 

“That’s most. Hinata gets to dare someone to do something,”

 

Hinata cleared his throat, and his cheeks got pinker. He glanced at Tenten, then looked away.

 

“Ten-san… I dare you to… let your hair down…”

 

Tenten smirked, and reached up, beginning to remove the pins from her hair.

 

“Is that all? No bloody fights of stripping in the streets? too easy,” She pulled a knife from one of her buns and they tumbled down, reaching just past her collar bones in gentle curls. Ino thought she looked really pretty, and frowned when she saw Naru and Sakura looking at her with admiration in their eyes. Hinata cleared his throat again. 

 

“Do I… Do I pick the next person, then?” He asked nervously, gripping the front of his sweatshirt tightly. Naru nodded, her eyes still on Tenten as she combed through her curls with her fingers.

 

“Uh… yeah man, whatever,” She said, blinking quickly. Ino glared at Shikamaru as he tightened his own ponytail distractedly.

 

Hinata looked around the room and fixed on Shino. “Shino… you’re next”

 

Shino scowled, but straightened up. He held out his palm, and a small, red beetle crawled out onto it. Everyone stared. 

 

“This beetle will make someone forget the last twenty four hours with a single bite,” He said coldly, “Would anyone like to try? Naru? Perhaps you? You could potentially forget all the torture you endured,” 

 

Naru laughed. No one else did. 

 

“I’ll take your word for it. By the way, Shino, have you met Sai?”

 

There was a pause, and Sai and Shino stared at one another for a moment in silence. Naru cleared her throat and pushed on.

 

“Sai is a new teammate of mine. He’s weird and didn’t have feelings until a few weeks ago, but he’s a nice guy and he is a dope ass fuckin draw-er or whatever, and he’s funny, even if he doesn’t mean to be…” Naru grinned at the pale boy, and Ino held back a scoff, burying her face in her cup again and glaring at him.  _ Another stupid, emotionless boy on a team with Naru and Sakura. Great.  _

 

Naru turned to Shino, and swallowed awkwardly. “And Sai, This is Shino. He likes bugs…” Naru cleared her throat again, and Shino fixed his gaze on her. She flashed him a guilty look, and he tilted his head.

 

It seemed at though he might drown her in beetles or something, but then Sai opened his mouth and Infodumped so much intel on Shino that Ino felt dizzy, and everyone in the room turned to stare at him. He shrugged.

 

“The Aburame Clan is impressive,” Sai said, as though it explained his knowledge of Shino’s time of birth. Naru cleared her throat again. 

 

“So who likes Shino’s forget me beetle?”

 

Naru raised her hand, and so did Sai, Hinata, and Kiba. Shino looked steadily at Naru, who shrugged.

 

“Guess you just pick the next person, Shino,” She said, shrugging. Shino frowned.

 

“I pick you, Naru-san,” He hissed. Naru blushed.

 

“Uh… New? New jutsu?” She frowned and looked around. “I’m not allowed to use it. Baa-chan told me I can’t cause it’ll make my arms fall off,”

 

Shikamaru frowned. “The jutsu you used in the Akatsuki member?”

 

“Yeah… Rasen Shuriken…” Naru said. She paused, but then she beamed. “No! I have one!”

 

Sakura bristled, but it was too late. Naru slapped her hands together, and suddenly there were two of her standing side by side. Next thing everyone knew, a tall, blonde man and a green haired woman, curvy and gorgeous, were leaning into one another, both dressed in low slung uniform trousers and tight white tank tops, grinning at one another.

 

“Naru!” Sakura snapped, but it was too late.The blonde man had pinned the green haired woman to the couch, and had tangled his hand in her hair, smashing their lips together passionately. Everyone in the room gaped as Naru made out with her clone, the green haired woman tearing the tank top slowly off the male clone’s body, whining into his mouth as he gripped her hair. Shikamaru gasped, then turned around.

 

“I can’t believe that you think Rinesmira looks like that!” He shouted, covering his ears as he glared at the door. The man surfaced, and the green haired woman disappeared.

 

“What did you think that she looked like, then?” The male Naru sneered, tilting his head. 

 

“Shorter! And muscular!”

 

“The book said her thighs were thick! Not strong!”

 

“Thighs can be both!” Shikamaru spat, turning and pointing up at Naru, who was smirking. Sakura threw the remnants of a chair at the back of Naru’s head, and he yelped, rubbing the lump that was forming there.

 

“Ow!”

 

“Don’t act out porn in front of people, you filthy lunatic!”

 

“I wasn’t gonna get to that part!” Naru sneered. Everyone was still staring at him, and he threw up his hands. “Oh come on! At the very least it was funny!”

 

“All impressed by this idiots inappropriate dumbassery, raise your stupid hand,” Sakura barked, glaring around. Shikamaru sighed and raised his hand. Ino did too, glaring at Sakura as she did. As did Sai, and Kiba. Everyone else just looked lost.

 

Naru smirked, and Ino suddenly realised that Naru may have been using it as a cop out. “Guess I pick the next victim?” Naru said, shrugging off what was left of his shirt and looking over at Sai.

 

“What do you got?” He cooed, tilting his head. Sai looked back. His eyes trailed slowly down Naru’s altered form, then snapped back to attention.

 

“I have no new jutsu,” Sai said, picking his sketchbook back up, “Sakura’s turn,”

 

Sakura frowned and held out a palm. Slowly it filled with water, and it began to drip onto the floor. Naru gasped, leaning , but the next second the water had settled, it was replaced by dirt, heaving upward. She reached behind herself and dumped it into a flower pot. “Water and earth style. That’s what I’ve been working on,” she said coldly. Naru blinked, then tilted his head.

 

“Talk to cap about that,” He said shortly, then he looked around. “Two different elemental jutsu, who’s impressed?”

 

Most people raised their hands, and Sakura smiled. 

 

“You get a dare and then pick the next person,” Shikamaru said, sounding bored. Sakura looked at Naru and grinned. 

 

“Switch back to your normal form,” She said, “But…” She looked around and pointed at Sai, “Since you don’t have a shirt, now you have to wear Sai’s,”

 

Naru rolled his eyes and walked over to Sai. “You don’t mind, do you?”

 

Sai shook his head, and unzipped his jacket, pulling it off and revealing the rest of his pale torso. Ino looked him over as Naru pulled the shirt on and tried to zip it up. He was struggling for some reason, like he couldn’t thread the joint of the zipper.

 

Sai turned and took his hands from it, slowly zipping Naru’s male form into his jacket. Sakura looked around happily. Ino realised that Sakura had just showed off how oblivious and charming both of her teammates were in one deft move.

 

Sai was… surprisingly good looking. Everyone seemed a little shocked as he stood awkwardly, shifting his jacket collar around Naru’s neck. Naru was getting fidgety. 

 

“Okay, now…” He snapped his hands together, and Naru returned to her usual form. Ino hadn’t noticed before, but now there was a direct comparison, Naru’s arms stretched the sleeves of Sai’s jacket taught, and she seemed broader than her male form had been of course, it could have just been that she was shorter. Sai gave her a minuscule, honest smile, which she answered with a dazzling grin. 

 

Sakura looked around, and her eyes landed on Ino. “Your turn. Show us what you’ve got,” 

 

Ino smirked. Shikamaru and Choji both tensed up, looks around in horror. Ino tilted her head. “Anything?”

 

Naru turned and shrugged. “Anything!” She said, pulling on the hem of Sai’s shirt and glancing over at him. 

 

“Well… I need a volunteer. Or two. Two would be fun,” 

 

Naru leaned forward, eagerly. “What is it?”

 

“Better to show, rather than tell,” Ino said, curling one hand into a circle. “Are you volunteering?”

 

“Sure!” She said, bounding forward. Ino took aim, then snapped her fingers behind the hand with the circle.

 

Naru fell still. Her face went slack. Everyone was tense now. Ino smiled.

 

“Naru?”

 

Naru straightened up. Her eyes rolled back.

 

“Ino!” Shikamaru snapped, looking at her reproachfully.

 

“Naru doesn’t mind, do you Naru?”

 

“I don’t mind…” Naru said. Ino smiled. Everyone was deadly still. Kiba cleared his throat.

 

“What…”

 

But Ino shushed him. She smiled at Naru and tilted her head. “In a talkative mood tonight, Naru?”

 

Naru nodded, her eyes still rolled back. Ino looked around.

 

“Any burning questions for our host? Anyone want to know the truth about something?”

 

No one moved.

 

“Huh, I think we aren’t being honest,” Ino laughed, “Someone has to have some questions. But that’s okay.  _ I _ have some questions,” She walked forward, standing toe to toe with the shorter nin. She tweaked the zipper of the borrowed jacket and eyed the new scars across Naru’s face.

 

“What’s it like? Living alone?”

 

“Lonely…” Naru responded. “Quiet…”

 

Ino smirked. “Who’s your favourite teammate?”

 

“Sakura…”

 

Ino leaned a little closer. “Who was your first kiss?”

 

“Sasuke…”

 

“Oh, we all knew that!” Ino laughed, narrowing her eyes, “And it doesn’t really count. It was an accident. Who was your first  _ real _ kiss?”

 

Naru didn’t change her slack expression. “Ino,” 

 

Ino grinned and straightened up, looking around. Shikamaru was looking at Ino with fury in his eyes. Neji looked quietly outraged. Sakura looked like she was going to start swinging any second.

 

“Oh, that’s not all!” Ino said, “Watch this! Naru! Act natural,”

 

Naru blinked. She widened her stance. She looked around and beamed. Ino tilted her head. 

 

“Naru, get me a drink,” 

 

Naru trotted obediently over to the punch bowl. She poured out a glass, and handed it to Ino. Ino thresher arm around Naru’s shoulders and leaned hard into her, still grinning.

 

“Oh. Naru, I have one more question. Ask me what it is,” Ino said, swirling the punch in her cup. Naru blinked innocently up at her.

 

“What is it, Ino?” She asked. It really could have passed for her usual self. Ino took a sip of her drink, dragging the moment out.

 

“How’s it feel, when you have all that nine-tailed chakra running through you?”

 

Naru blinked again, and then smiled brightly. “It burns. It hurts. It’s like setting yourself on fire, but… the power of it… it’s indescribable,”

 

Everyone looked scared. Everyone but Sakura, who was looking straight at Ino like she was contemplating murder. Ino smirked.

 

“Does he talk to you?”

 

“He’s talking right now,” Naru said calmly. Ino blinked and looked down at Naru. Shikamaru, Sakura, Kiba and Neji all bristled, bracing a little like they expected a fight.

 

“Oh? What’s he saying?”

 

Naru hesitated. Ino frowned. She pushed more chakra through the mind connection, enough that a normal man would have been rendered unconscious.

 

“My voice doesn’t do what his voice is doing. But he says ‘get out’,”

 

“Do you want me out of your brain, Naru?”

 

Naru tilted her head. “I don’t mind,”

 

Ino nodded and made a motion like she was snapping a string between them. Naru jerked and stumbled, but Ino caught the back of her shirt and yanked her upright again. 

 

“I can do two at once if I want to,” She said cooly. Naru’s eyes were wide. She brought her hand to her mouth and turned to Ino. Ino dropped her grip and took another long swig of her drink.

 

“Well…” Shino growled, likely watching Naru from behind his glasses, “I don’t think any of us liked that, but I think we all agree… it was impressive,”

 

No one objected, even though Shikamaru looked like he wanted to throttle Ino. Shino tilted his head.

 

“I suppose you get a dare then, Yamanaka. Though I’d be careful if I were you. You’re stepping on toes connected to knives,” 

 

Ino looked around, avoiding Choji’s eyes. She looked at Neji. At Shikamaru. She stared at Sakura, contemplating what she could ask of her. nothing came to mind. She looked back at Naru, and hummed. Everyone braved for a fight, but Shino stepped forward, voice level, but the edge there.

 

“Like I said, Yamanaka,” He said, a buzzing noise filling the apartment, “tread carefully,”

 

Ino pouted in an exaggerated way. “You all get to play by a different set of rules than I do, that’s unfair,” 

 

“Some would argue that mind control is unfair,” Neji said, scowling. Ino shot him a smirk.

 

“I think you’re jealous,”

 

“I think you’re trying to make someone jealous,” He replied calmly, tilting his head, “who is it, Ino?”

 

Ino scoffed to hide her surprise. “I don’t need to make anyone jealous,”

 

Neji shot her a look of such obvious doubt that Ino snarled back. Tenten cleared her throat and Lee shifted awkwardly. Neither Choji nor Shikamaru moved to defend Ino.

 

Ino turned back to Naru.

 

“I dare you to pick your favourite person in the room,”

 

Naru blanched. She looked around. Everyone was tense, looking from Neji to Shikamaru to Sakura and back again. Naru coughed. 

 

“Favourite… person?”

 

Ino nodded slowly. Naru looked around, nervously glancing from person to person, seeming uneasy. Ino cocked her eyebrow.

 

“You heard me. Who’s your favourite person?”

 

Naru swallowed, running her fingers through her hair. Ino smirked. Naru looked away, flushing dark and shifting awkwardly. 

 

Everyone was watching with a careful, agonising attention, a terrified need to know, a hesitant, fearful desperation. Naru shifted again, and not her top lip. She seemed about to speak, but her voice failed her. Ino leaned forward, cupping her hand over her ear and humming loudly.

 

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you,”

 

Naru swallowed again. “It’s Sasuke, okay?” She hissed. Everyone froze, as though caught in a living portrait. “He was the first person my age who… Who accepted me. You know? My first friend. I was alone for twelve years. Then… then there was him,” She tilted her head, smiling sadly with her eyes still fixed on the window. 

 

Ino frowned. She’d been hoping that Naru would say Shikamaru, and upset Sakura, or even say Neji. Now everyone was looking guilty and upset. Ino bit her lip and looked down. 

 

“You shouldn’t love him like you do,” Hinata said quietly. Everyone turned to him, surprised. Naru flushed, but Hinata stayed steady. “He never treated you well, even when he hadn’t deserted the village,”

 

“He’s been through so much!”

 

Hinata tilted his head. “Tenten is an orphan too,” He pointed out, “She grew up alone in her parents old house,”

 

Tenten nodded. “It’s hard to be by yourself,”

 

Hinata tilted his head. “Neji’s father died to protect mine. He was murdered. His mother is…” He fell silent. Everyone knew the implication. Anbu parents weren’t unusual either. “And I think you’ll recall… the political climate and nature of my clan’s branch family system,”

 

No one spoke. Naru looked a little confused, and glanced at Neji, but Neji was stone faced and straight backed. Hinata pressed on.

 

“No one here, I think, intends to minimise what happened. It was horrible, shocking, and should have been impossible. I cannot begin to imagine the pain he must have felt. But he isn’t the only person in this village to be left alone, without parents, and he isn’t the only person who has… had pain inflicted on him…” His voice tightened slightly, and his eyes flicked guiltily toward Neji. Naru broke the awkward silence, rushing forward and crashing into Hinata, who toppled over from his place on the floor. He blinked in surprise to find Naru laying on top of him, hugging him tightly, Tears in her eyes. 

 

“I’m so sorry!” She sobbed. Hinata patted her on the back lightly, very red in the face, and Lee, who had been deadly silent, beamed and patted Naru’s back too.

 

“Do not be sorry, Naru! To place affection so determinedly is a good thing!”

 

“Not in spite of everything,” Sakura growled low in her chest. Surprised eyes snapped toward her. Kiba piped up.

 

“Weren’t you all over Sasuke?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow. Sakura frowned.

 

“Are we all going to be bound for life to our academy crushes?”

 

Everyone blinked. “Fair point,” Kiba said, glancing at Naru, who was still sobbing into Hinata’s shoulder and blushing a little. Naru got up after another moment and rushed to Tenten, almost knocking her over in a hug. 

 

“I’m sorry!” She sniffled, “I’m so sorry!”

 

Tenten patted the back of Naru’s head affectionately and hissed something in her ear. Naru sniffed and looked up. She nodded, and wiped under one eye, and with another low, indiscernible whisper, she let out a watery laugh. Tenten patted her shoulder, and then Naru turned, walking over to where Neji stood, still stiff, and wrapping her arms around him tightly, pressing her cheek into his chest and sniffing loudly. Neji lost some of his stiffness, and looked down at Naru, hanging off of him like a christmas ornament. 

 

“I think that we’ll have to pause the game for a moment,” He said primly, “I think some of us would benefit from a little fresh air,”

 

Everyone nodded, and Neji swept out of the room, closely tailed by Shikamaru. Sakura turned to Ino, looking furious. 

 

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” She growled, treading over to her. Ino shrugged.

 

“What, I’m just playing the game,”

 

“No,” Sakura‘s eyes were bright, her face flushed with anger and liquor, “You’re being a horrible person, and you know it. Naru did nothing to warrant-“

 

“She’s been playing everyone in this room for years, hasn’t she?” Ino interrupted. Sakura paused, fists clenched. “She’s been cuddling up to anyone and everyone who stands still long enough while holding on to everything she has for Sasuke,” Ino smirked, “She’s got half this room on the ropes,”

 

Sai tilted his head. There was a buzzing noise in the air. Sakura scowled. “Shut it,”

 

Ino steppes forward, looking down her nose at Sakura. “Scared your little devil wants someone else?”

 

“Ino,” Choji said, his low voice a rumble in the silent room, “Sit down and stop drinking. You’re not acting like yourself,”

 

Ino paused, her eyes catching for a fraction of a moment on Sakura’s lips, but then the fraction of a moment was gone, and she collapsed into a seat.

 

“Whatever,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru: Small Victory, Transviolet
> 
> Ino: Issues, Julia Micheals 
> 
> Everyone: Hard Feelings, Antony & Cleopatra


	108. Naru, Fate and Fated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru talks to the Boyz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY THIS FIC IS A YEAR OLD AND IVE BEEN GONE FOR MONTHS TRYING TO FUCKIN EDIT A NOVEL BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUT IM NOT AND ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME

Naru was leaning against the wall, scowling at the grass that was sprouting beneath her feet. She had a bitter taste- not the alcohol- on her tongue, and felt as though she’d made a mistake. Shikamaru was standing across from her, feet away, and his arms were crossed too. His brow was furrowed, he looked… angry, in a way. She couldn’t even look at Neji, but she could feel him, his pale eyes fixed on her, ever seeing everything. Why did she always draw eyes to her that couldn’t miss a thing?

 

“Are you okay?” Shikamaru asked. Naru swallowed nervously.

 

“No. But none of us are, really. None of us are okay. Not really. We’re all…” But she didn’t finish. How could she voice it? How could she express it all? Nothing. There was nothing to be said.

 

“He’s…” Shikamaru started. Naru shook her head. Every muscle in her body tensed. He knew better than to continue.

 

And there it was. Laid before them all. There was nothing else to be said, nothing to be done. It was plain for all to see. 

 

Sasuke had Naru. He had her bones, her flesh, her brain, her life. He had it all. 

 

Well… almost.

 

“I don’t think I have a soul anymore. I think it’s gone,” 

 

“You… You can’t just lose your soul,” Neji said, an unreadable edge in his voice.

 

Naru looked up, fixing on Neji’s pale eyes and flashing him an insincere, crooked smile. 

 

“No. But I think a soul can be taken. I think it can be spread thin. I think it can be broken. My soul, my everything… I’m thin. Wasted. I’ve been taken, Bright eyes. I’ve been ground up and sprinkled around across a million different moments. I’ve put myself into so many different things all I have left is…”

 

She bit her tongue. How on earth could she say all that was left was bitterness and Kurama? How could she tell these two young men- for they were young men, they were more than boys, they’d both proved that time and time again- how could she tell them she was nothing but a devil and a grin?

 

It was Neji who did it. It was Neji who moved. 

 

Neji strode forward. He grasped her shoulders and shook her gently. He caught her eyes with his own blank gaze.

 

“You are so much more than this moment,” He hissed, his lips, so soft looking, his brows, so determined, every inch of him earnest and keen, “You are so much more than this. You are… You are laughter and optimism and perseverance. You’re more than your body and the ground and the earth and the air- Naruto Uzumaki, You are the glue that binds and the knife that cuts, and you are chakra and you are breath and sun and water… You’re everything to me, Naruto. Your soul is all that is and I-“

 

But Naru pulled away and walked a few steps to the edge of the building, her hand gripping the corner like life support as she stared out across the horizon, watching the sky kiss the ground with a never failing passion, her mouth set and her brow furrowed.

 

“I’m a demon. I know it. My blood is valuable to people who would see this world crumble in their hands. I hold love like a cup that overflows, but what good is it? What use is feeling in a world like ours? I’m here for a reason. I’m here to save every soul I can, to make up for the empty place where my soul would have been. When the time comes, I’ll die. Easy. It’ll be nothing to me. It’ll be nothing to the world either. But before that, I have one thing to do. I have to save him. Once. One time, of a hundred. I  _ will _ save him. I just need to save him,”

 

“He’s not worth a single split end of yours,” Shikamaru spat. Naru looked back at him, a smile playing her lips.

 

“I’m not a person. These past weeks have taught me that. I’m not human. You’re all here for me to die for. You’re all here for me to protect. And I  _ will  _ die for you. I’ll die a thousand times for all of you. You’re so precious. And he is too. Anyone willing to waste you is worth disposing of, because you’re everything to me. I finally see. I am a weapon. I am the great border. The wall around the village,”

 

Her eyes found the horizon again, and a look of bliss overtook her.

 

**_YOU’RE MISSING THE POINT_ ** _. _

 

_ No. You are _ .

 

“Don’t talk like this! I can’t stand it!” Shikamaru said, bolting forward and pulling Naru back. He leaned back against the wall, holding her shoulders firmly an arms length away. “You’re not some weapon. you’re not just a wicked amalgamation of parts designed for harm. You’re a person. You’re a person with feelings and goals and dreams! People aren’t… formed for some... one, specific purpose! This addiction we all have to the concept of fate is dangerous when it’s taken like this! you know what your ‘ _ fate _ ’ is? You really want to know your purpose in life?”

 

Naru blinked up at him, trying to ignore the face that Neji was pulling, as though he had been force fed something sour.

 

**_I KNOW WHAT IT IS._ **

 

_ What? _

 

**_TO NOT LISTEN TO THIS WEAKLING._ **

 

“You’re on this earth to be happy. That’s all this is. You’re here to live your life and do what makes you happy just like the rest of us,” 

 

Naru let her eyes fall to the ground, determinedly staring at the grass again. Neji shifted, and she involuntarily looked back up at him.

 

“Nara is right. You’re the one who…” He swallowed, shifting nervously and looking away, “You’re the one who taught me that fate was what you make it. We’re not slaves to destiny. We’re… we’re free. Free to do what will fulfill us,”

 

Naru bit her lip. What would fulfill her. Her lungs and her heart and her mind were all so full. So chaotic. She looked up, away, at the sky. “You two are… are the greatest minds this village has ever seen,”

 

Both men flushed slightly. Shikamaru let go of Naru’s shoulders to smooth a hand over his ponytail. But Naru didn’t have done.

 

“And you’ve both endured so much, and you’ve both fought so hard…” She stepped back so that she could look at them both at once, and after a deep breath, she flashed them her best reassuring grin. “And I think you’re right! I don’t know what I am. I don’t know much at all, really, but by all the gods there ever were, and ever weren’t- I’m gonna make the world a better place. For everyone. For you. I promise!”

 

Shikamaru seemed to be trying hard not to roll his eyes. Neji was still a little flushed. Naru rushes in at them, catching them both by their collars and dragging them in for a tight hug.

 

“You guys are the shit, you know that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs: 
> 
> Let Me Down, Jorja Smith


	109. Konohamaru, Spy Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Konohamaru develops slightly as a character

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> refer to end notes for my reasoning

Konohamaru was running through the apartment building, kicking doors open and shouting at kids to scatter. Young Nin melted through the floor and leapt from the windows, hiding and running home.

 

Soon enough he reached Naru’s apartment. The door snapped open and he bolted in, staring around. Choji shot upright, quickly dumping a bowl of punch out in the sink. 

 

“Hey, Kiddo! What’s-“

 

“Where’s my sister?”

 

Ino looked up, looking sulky. “She’s not your sister, and she’s outside chatting up the president and treasurer of her fan club,” 

 

Konohamaru sneered at her. “What does that make you? The club clown?”

 

“Why you little!” Ino snarled, sitting up, but Konohamaru turned to Sakura with pleading eyes. 

 

“Dump anything bad. Anbu are looking for Naru. Something about prisoners talking and a new mission-“

 

Sakura was already on her feet, as was the boy with the beetles and Rock Lee, rocketing around and clearing the tables of beer bottles and plastic cups. Konohamaru sprinted back downstairs and burst out of the door, running around the building and finding Naru sobbing into the shoulders of Shikamaru and Neji Hyuga. Konohamaru paused for a moment. He didn’t want to interrupt, but Naru could get into trouble. He’d only found out about the anbu’s orders because he’d set up a kind of surveillance network within the village- something he’d come up with in the academy, but only put into practice due to…

 

He shook his head and sucked in a deep breath. The Hyuga turned and squeezed one of Naru’s muscular shoulders. “Someone’s here for you, Naru,”

 

Shikamaru looked up too, his face red as he stepped quickly away from Neji. “K-Konohamaru!”

 

Naru perked up, her face ruddy and tear stained, but it broke into a grin when she saw her brother.

 

“Kiddo-“

 

“No time! Sober up! Anbu are coming to take you to Lady Tsunade! There’s talk of a new mission!”

 

Naru blinked, her face quickly going blank. “A… A mission?”

 

“You heard me! Get in your apartment and make it look like you idiots are in a knitting circle. They’re going to be here any second!”

 

Naru immediately bolted up the wall, swinging through a window and leaving Konohamaru with Neji and Shikamaru. Konohamaru crossed his arms and frowned at them. Shikamaru looked determinedly away, pursing his lips. Neji blinked at Konohamaru expectantly. 

 

The boy narrowed his eyes at him. 

 

“Are either of you dating my sister?” He snapped sharply. Neji looked confused, but Shikamaru spluttered. 

 

“Konohamaru! You know I’m dating-“

 

“If you keep messing with Naru-Nii’s feelings I’ll cut your ponytail off in your sleep. I don’t care that you were Uncle Asuma’s favourite,” He turned to Neji and stepped forward. “That goes for you too, Hyuga. Screw around with her and you’ll wake up bald,”

 

Neji blinked again, but there was a click and a slither. Konohamaru and Neji both looked up at the building. 

 

“They’re here. I gotta split. Shikamaru, here,”

 

He handed him a pack of cigarettes. Shikamaru took them, looking shocked.

 

“How did you-“

 

“An alibi. No one will hold the habit against you, not after everything. At least not at first. Neji was keeping you company. They probably are pretending to be talking intel or studying or something. I gotta go. Don’t want anyone finding out about. Well,” He cut himself off and sniffed loudly. Both the teenagers gaped at him, and he bristled. “I’m twelve! Not dumb! I’ve been on missions you know! And if anyone knows the Anbu…” He scowled. Shikamaru nodded. A sad look overtook Neji’s face, making Konohamaru feel sick and offended. He decided not to push his luck, however, and ran off as quickly as he could. Just before he got out of earshot, he heard a lighter flick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs: 
> 
> This Is An Emergency, The Pigeon Detectives
> 
> Not In California, K. Flay   
> (get Lit)
> 
> Okay, so, I don't like what the great Creators didn with Konohamaru. He wound up just being... like... naruto 2.0 when really his background is p interesting. I mean, he was born to Anbu parents, he was closely related to some p strong ninja, he had this huge legacy and w/e. then he just wound up feeling a little underdeveloped to me. Idk. I think he has potential to be something more than what he wound up.

**Author's Note:**

> Naru: That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed), Panic! At The Disco
> 
> Sakura: Mouthwash, Kate Nash
> 
> Sai: Turn, The Wombats
> 
> hey my tumblr is paperprincex


End file.
